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A review by killmoore_
My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Lemme start by saying that I love Grady Hendrix. Southern Bookclub is one of my all time favorites, and I've truly enjoyed everything I've read by him - until I read this.
Okay.. first.. are we not going to talk about the amount of times Hendrix wrote Abbys parents as "Mr or Mrs Lang" instead of Rivers? It bugged the hell out of me. The editing in this was attrocious. Multiple weird character mixups throughout that I latched on to, and it honestly kind of ruined the rest of the book for me, haha. Also, what was the point of the entire first chapter?
It was slow. It was corny. It was a bit painful to read at times. The exorcism itself was a bit lack luster, and the characters were shallow and forgettable (looking at you Lemon). The only saving grace here was Margaret's story, and honestly, she deserved it.
If 80's cheese horror/teenage bimbo drama is your cup of tea, Grady nailed it. Lots of feel good friendship moments, some mildly yucky body horror, and a lot of language that is frowned upon these days.
Considering the rhythm and quality of Hendrixs other novels, this truly felt like he had a deadline coming up and pushed this out as quickly as possible. It's a shame.
Okay.. first.. are we not going to talk about the amount of times Hendrix wrote Abbys parents as "Mr or Mrs Lang" instead of Rivers? It bugged the hell out of me. The editing in this was attrocious. Multiple weird character mixups throughout that I latched on to, and it honestly kind of ruined the rest of the book for me, haha. Also, what was the point of the entire first chapter?
It was slow. It was corny. It was a bit painful to read at times. The exorcism itself was a bit lack luster, and the characters were shallow and forgettable (looking at you Lemon). The only saving grace here was Margaret's story, and honestly, she deserved it.
If 80's cheese horror/teenage bimbo drama is your cup of tea, Grady nailed it. Lots of feel good friendship moments, some mildly yucky body horror, and a lot of language that is frowned upon these days.
Considering the rhythm and quality of Hendrixs other novels, this truly felt like he had a deadline coming up and pushed this out as quickly as possible. It's a shame.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol