Book Review l My Best Friends Exorcism

My Best Friends Exorcism

Grady Hendrix

YA / Contemporary / 1980's / Highschool / Horror
8 Stars 

I judged this book by its cover, and I am proud to say I judged right!

I had been told a lot about this author, seeing him pop up from time to time on goodreads, book tube ect. for various books, not just this one. But this book specifically did show up as well, so I had a pretty good idea that I was going to like his writing style and that this book in particular was going to be great, possibly even amazing.

It fell somewhere between the two opinions.

Summary

Abby and Gretchen are BFF's. Going into their grade 10 year in 1982. After a variety of teen drama and some epic references, Gretchen gets possessed by a demon, but is it really possession? Abby doesn't believe in all that, and while her homelife sucks, Gretchen's isn't all sunshine and rainbows either. As the little mysteries add up, Abby will be the only one left in Gretchen's corner and really, what is she supposed to do?

It has been a while since I ranted about over-hype, but this is it, all over again! I knew I was going into this book with way too many expectations - that it was going to be a cross between The Exorcist and Horns (Joe Hill), which is very much wasn't, I can see how people would draw the connection though. Horns just had such deep disturbing secrets and thoughts and context I was expecting that level of discomfort (the reading and rereading thinking "there is no way he just said that, that someone wrote this!"

I was thinking that ; it was going to be very graphic - it ended up being very explicit and their was nudity, but not graphic in the sense I had thought, I was thinking shock value like OMG no! no way! which is a totally different graphic (one scene involving Margret got close, but it would be spoiler-y to say more). 

So those two things which are "little big things" cramped my style a little bit, but overall I really liked the book. Don't know if it will be a reread, but it would be a fun halloween read and it would make an epic mini series on TV.

I recommend this to horror / Thriller  fans and 1980/1990's kids. I did have some laugh out out moments and a lot of nostalgia. Plus I loved the ending (which is something I always complain about) and the characters were very sweet and I felt very invested and connected to them. Which is hard for writers to do so I am excited for more Hendrix books.