AUTHOR: Grady Hendrix
PUBLISHER: Quirk Books
PUBLISHING DATE: May, 17, 2016
FROM GOODREADS: Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act…different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
MY THOUGHTS:
I need to start off by saying that toward the end of this book, something happens which almost made me stop reading. Now I very rarely get that way, and almost nothing scares me, so those who know me will have an idea what it is. If I had rated this book right after I finished reading it, it may not have garnered more than 2/5, which would have been unfair. So overall, now that some time has passed, I can look at this more objectively.
Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since grade school when they bonded during an E.T. themed skating party disaster. As they enter high school, they are now part of a four girl clique which I am still unsure how it happened because in grade school, one of these girls was Abby's nemesis. Anyone, one night the girls experiment with LSD and unbeknownst to them, Gretchen, who ends up missing all night, ends up being possessed by an demon.
Possession has always freaked me out a tad bit and probably stems back to my days of watching
"Exorcism" and driving home alone down an old country road late one one evening. Therefore I knew the premise of "My Best Friend's Exorcism" would probably pull me. I also have heard great things about Hendrix so that definitely piqued my curiosity as well. This book did measure up to my expectations. Some of the scenes described were downright terrifying and others were utterly gross and cringe-worthy. Throw in a ton of 80's references, and an exorcism attempt via a Go-Go's song and I honestly can't say many bad things about this book. Except...reference first paragraph. I could have done without the scene-which-will-not-be-described (because I don't want to spoil anyone). It didn't need to be in the book. Yet, I have given some thought and this is a demon we are talking about and demons do horrible things so although I haven't quite forgiven Hendrix, I am giving him a proverbial pass.
This is a very good horror read. Just be warned. If you are reading the book and toward the end you think to yourself "surely he won't go there," be warned, he goes there. Of course I will also add that the scene-which-will-not-be-described probably won't really bother a lot of people so I really couldn't let it interfere too much with my overall rating. Also, after reading this book I wonder how many kids I went to high school with were actually possessed? We all know how mean kids are at times and I could see the comparisons....just a thought. If you love horror, the 80's or anything else Hendrix has written, definitely pick this one up.
RATING: 4 PAWS
Barb, just reading your paragraph about watching The Exorcism and driving down a dark country road gave me the chills. Anything with possession is just not for me. I don't know what it is about it but that's one area of horror that scares the - well, you get the picture. I can't watch it. I can't read it. So I'm happy that you ended up realizing you enjoyed this book despite whatever happened towards the end. But I'll have to steer clear. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, I think you have me more curious about the part that you didn't like than anything...lol. I think this one sounds interesting and I remember the first time I watched Exorcism I had to turn it off and finish it during the day time....LOL.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you enjoyed it despite the one part at the end.
Now I trying to figure out which scene bothered you so much, I'll have to go back and check my notes. I guess it didn't bother me if I can't remember it, lol!
ReplyDeleteTammy, if you think hard about the title of my blog and my co-blogger, you will easily figure it out. Like I said, it really didn't distract from the book for me once I gave it some time to process.
DeleteGood review. I was wondering about this one. And now I want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI loved Horrorstor, so should probably give this one a try :)
ReplyDeleteFantastic review! I want to read Horrorstor, but this one looks even more up my alley. Possession stuff freaks me out a bit too.
ReplyDelete