A review by chloseencounter
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

adventurous emotional funny tense medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

5.0

This is my second Grady Hendrix novel and I really enjoy their writing style. I expected (due to the quirky nature of the title) for this to feel a lot more YA but there were some parts that were genuinely disturbing and mature. Even though I grew up during the 90s/2000s the story still gave me a heavy sense of nostalgia for summers as a teenager, I felt that especially at the beginning when all the characters and their relationships were being established. It all felt very real and genuine, like people I would’ve known, friends I would’ve had, and things I would’ve done (or did without being possessed thankfully). The way the girls felt so real is what made this novel truly worth it for me. I know that some bits were wildly cheesy but I honestly enjoyed it a lot, the toss up between horrific and sooooo melodramatic was a good mix for me.
I also loved how the exorcist had said that most people just make up what they say during a deliverance and in the end Abby believed a lot more in Phil Collins than religion. As silly as that seems, it suited the climax for our main characters.
I really enjoyed the ending, because that too was realistic and truthful, it wasn’t a fantasy happily ever after but it was about as good as life and friendship gets. My only complaint is that I felt the first few chapters were a little slow, I wasn’t grabbed as immediately as I would usually like to be by a book but I also appreciated the time spent learning about the girls, their relationship with each other, their relationship with their parents, and the inherent differences in their lives being two separate economic classes. In the end I think the time spent paid off in making the reader care more about what may happen to them. I can’t wait to give more Grady Hendrix books a go and I’m excited to see the movie adaptation for this one soon!
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