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A review by snugglesandpages
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
dark
tense
fast-paced
4.0
If I had to describe My Best Friends Exorcism in movies it would be Beach's meets Heathers, meets the Exorcist... What an epic combo 💥
I think it will come as no surprise that the cover art for this book is what drew me in. I grew up obsessed with 80s horror and love the no boundaries, anything goes thrills you get from classic films. You definitely get those vibes in this book!
We first meet Abby and Gretchen as two awkward kids in the 4th grade. The writing in this section felt a little YA in my opinion, but Hendrix encapsulates their blooming friendship with such realism, it feels fitting.
The main portion of the story is set in 1988, during the height of the satanic panic. The girls are older now and in the 10th grade. But it's not until about a third of the way through that shit starts to get real. There were some pretty icky and shocking moments (I may not drink vanilla milkshakes for a long loooong time) and of course, an exorcism!
I experienced no shortage of nostalgic feels while reading and if you are a fan of the 80s era too, you will feel right at home between all the pop culture references. I especially liked that each chapter title references an 80s hit song.
Ultimately, the only gripe I had with this book was that I still don't know HOW Gretchen's possession came to happen, which is really frustrating. It's a gaping hole in the narrative that the author never really answers. But, as the core of the story is the unbreakable friendship that stands up against the harsh realities of young adult life and demonic possession, I guess I'll just have to roll with my own theory.
I think it will come as no surprise that the cover art for this book is what drew me in. I grew up obsessed with 80s horror and love the no boundaries, anything goes thrills you get from classic films. You definitely get those vibes in this book!
We first meet Abby and Gretchen as two awkward kids in the 4th grade. The writing in this section felt a little YA in my opinion, but Hendrix encapsulates their blooming friendship with such realism, it feels fitting.
The main portion of the story is set in 1988, during the height of the satanic panic. The girls are older now and in the 10th grade. But it's not until about a third of the way through that shit starts to get real. There were some pretty icky and shocking moments (I may not drink vanilla milkshakes for a long loooong time) and of course, an exorcism!
I experienced no shortage of nostalgic feels while reading and if you are a fan of the 80s era too, you will feel right at home between all the pop culture references. I especially liked that each chapter title references an 80s hit song.
Ultimately, the only gripe I had with this book was that I still don't know HOW Gretchen's possession came to happen, which is really frustrating. It's a gaping hole in the narrative that the author never really answers. But, as the core of the story is the unbreakable friendship that stands up against the harsh realities of young adult life and demonic possession, I guess I'll just have to roll with my own theory.