Review: My Best Friend's Exorcism

4 stars. This is Grady Hendrix's tightest book, by far. I loved it and it crackled and it was funny and gross and wicked and scary. He really takes things deep before they get better, eh? Truly horrifying moments that take root and grow into humiliation - the whole "no one believes me" premise. He loves it. He's used it in multiple books. He really gets how to do it. Yikes.

The plot is simple: Abby and Gretchen are tight BFFs, until one night Gretchen gets lost in the woods and comes back changed. Her appearance, her behavior, even her treatment of Abby shifts until it's clear that she has lost her way entirely. Is it trauma? Hormones? Or something far worse - something that Abby alone must face to save her best friend?

Gretchen's web of destruction felt inevitable yet super entertaining. The systematic take downs of each friend were delightfully awful. Things got a little random - what on earth was with that exorcist and all that - but the book stayed true to its core. Couple that with the 80s nostalgia (I'm a 90s kid but I loved all the references) and it becomes a really great horror classic.

I docked a star for a UDD (a truly awful one at that - tempted to dock 2 stars, honestly). But this is a fantastic read for spooky season and I look forward to watching the adaptation. Again, this is probably the tightest GH book I've read, but they're all really fun. Highly recommend.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads