Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

347 reviews

jacob_dion's review

dark funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Drug use, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, and Vomit

Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Self harm, and Violence

hollerfeller's review

dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty

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

chezler24's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

 I could not put this book down towards the end! My co-workers recommended this book, and it seemed like something right up my alley. Friendship, demons, and that nostalgic 80's setting - I mean it's a perfect recipe for a good ol' teen horror flick (nod to the cover for looking like an old VHS tape sleeve). As a reader, we are seemlessly dropped into the 80s and got to watch Abby and Gretchen's friendship start and grow over the years which makes the gut-wrenching, heart-breaking events hit even harder over the course of the the book. [Brief Side Note: I can understand why Hendrix touches on some of the casual racism present at this time so as not to create this fictionalized, sugar-coated 80s that I think so many of us are often presented with. That and the whole satanic panic set the scene for America at this time but, more specifically, this town whose residents are consumed by appearance, judgment, and "moral" superiority. It was shocking to read but I also felt like I should mention it here because it stood out while reading and added to the setting/background.] Friendship is an overaching theme the book starts and ends with. Abby and Gretchen as children often tried to determine best friends vs all right friends vs acquaintances, and, while they don't do this explicitly as they get older, the delineation bewteen fairweather friends and true friends is evident especially after the demon has wrecked havoc on their friendgroup. I was stressed for Abby as her friends, her family, the school, and slowly the entire town turned against her. That was part of the reason why I had to keep reading. I couldn't leave her when her life was slowly going into free fall. As far as endings go, I was pretty content with it. Honestly, I was just relieved it wasn't a sappy "and they all lived happily ever after" ending. It seemed relatively realistic even with the way their friendship continued into their adult years. Despite the supernatural elements, this book just felt REAL and relatable. Going to enjoy re-reading this book in the future. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Death, Medical content, and Body horror

haley_mil_reads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Sexism, Body horror, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Animal death and Sexual assault

knels813's review

adventurous dark funny sad fast-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? It's complicated

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, and Vomit

Moderate: Body horror, Rape, and Suicidal thoughts

jessicalarson125's review

• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Animal death, and Blood

Moderate: Medical content, Violence, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder, Drug use, and Sexual violence

cdreibelbis's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Eating disorder, and Body horror

Moderate: Animal death and Suicide attempt

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

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

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

triggs4780's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Physical abuse, Torture, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Excrement, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Violence