Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: May 17th, 2016
Synopsis: 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 some help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you may have guessed that I absolutely LOVE Horror. Books, tv shows, movies… As long as it’s good, count me in! One of my biggest disappointments is that you don’t see a lot of authors writing horror for YAs. There are writers like Laurie Stolartz and Danielle Vega who regularly turn out some truly stellar novels, but YA Horror hasn’t yet taken off like other genres such as fantasy and dystopian fiction. After finishing My Best Friend’s Exorcism, I’m adding Grady Hendrix to my list of favorite authors in this genre. I’m going to be honest and say that some readers may be a little disappointed because most of the action takes place in the second part of the book, but for me it’s all about the anticipation. You know–that mounting sense of dread where you know bad things are gonna happen, it’s just a matter of when? The first half of the book primarily focuses on the close friendship between Abby and Gretchen. After a sleepover with two other friends turns into a terrifying night, Gretchen disappears for several hours. It’s not long after she’s found by her desperate friends that Gretchen starts exhibiting extremely odd behavior, the most heartbreaking of which is her turning on Abby. And from there things slowly get worse. While the suspense is building, Hendrix takes you back to high school life in the 1980s complete with all sorts of cultural references. I’ve had the Go-Go’s We Got the Beat stuck in my head since I finished the book a few days ago. Thankfully they were my favorite band when I was in high school so I’m okay with that. Reading this was like a trip down memory lane. Grady Hendrix not only captures the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of high school life, he is scarily good at getting into the minds of teen girls. So good that I found myself forgetting that this story is written by a guy. One weakness I found concerns the adult characters in the book. With only one exception they’re overwhelmingly portrayed as either weak and ineffectual, or bullying and abusive. After awhile this really got on my nerves but not enough to to spoil my overall enjoyment of the story. I mentioned that most of the horror-based action takes place in the second half of the book. Well, a word of warning. There are some extremely graphic passages which even had me squirming, and I read my first Stephen King book when I was 13. I don’t want to include any spoilers but for those of you who are animal lovers like me, well… Thankfully this scene is brief and I skimmed over it. There was also a scene with involving tapeworms which actually gave me a nightmare. That’s what I get for staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish this. And finally, there’s the ending which in my opinion is one of the best conclusions to a story that I’ve read in a very long time. It’s a beautiful and poignant finale that had me reaching for a tissue. At it’s heart My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a coming-of-age story about the power of friendship. Think Mean Girls with a dash of the Exorcism thrown in. It’s one of the best YA horror novels I’ve read and I’ll definitely be checking out Mr. Hendrix’s future works.
Carrie said:
Tried for this one and got a decline, I think the too many requests etc etc. 😦
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I hate it when that happens! This none is definitely worth checking out if you ever have the time Carrie.
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Carrie said:
I marked it as one to watch for when I was declined, seeing your review I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it. 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
☺☺
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Lelia T said:
Terrific recommendation!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Lelia!☺️
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Zoë said:
Great review! I am quite interested to read this. I sent a request, we will see how it goes.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Zoe! I hope you get approved.🙋🏻
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Zoë said:
I just got approved for it now! WHOOP! Must be because you wished me luck!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yes! I hope you love it Zoe!
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dreamingofcats said:
This sounds good! I’d come across another book involving teenage girls and exorcising one of their own, but that was too dark for me – they simply wanted to torture a peer, it wasn’t about saving her, and I couldn’t stomach that. But I like the sound of this one with female friendship at its center ❤
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Are you talking about Merciless, by Danielle Vega? I liked it, but I definitely had some issues with it. I think you might like this.
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dreamingofcats said:
Yes, that’s the one! Are you going to read the sequel out later this year? I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts if you do. From the synopsis, it sounds more bearable and my kind of creepy-horror rather than sadistic-torture-horror.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I definitely will. I also recently read Burning which she wrote as Danielle Rollins, and I thought it was pretty decent.
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dreamingofcats said:
Ooh, I’ve added that straight onto my Goodreads want-to-read list, thanks!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
My pleasure!😊
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Lisa said:
Yay! We’re definitely on the same page with this book. 🙂 And yup, those tapeworms just gave me the creeps and haunted my dreams… how gross! I thought it was just so well done… although I wish we found out more about what exactly happened to Gretchen that night. (Unless it was explained and I missed it? I read some of this in the middle of the night…)
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Ewww! I think that scene was worse than the actual exorcism! If I remember correctly, how Gretchen actually came to be possessed was kind of vague. Perhaps deliberately so? I know it happened in that creepy building in the equally creepy woods. See, this is why I don’t go camping. You’re either being eaten alive by mosquitoes, running for your life from bears or mountain lions, being stalked by a psychopath, or possessed by a demon!
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Lisa said:
Ha, so true! Mosquitoes and demons — the bane of every camping trip. 🙂 Right, it was vague — it was that weird shack with all the graffiti, and a telephone switching box, and weird humming… no idea. But man, so many things just creeped me out, in the best way!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
We need MORE YA horror like this!
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emmakwall said:
Sounds full on Kims…! I’d like this I think. And I have no problem with the second 1/2 being more action packed, so long as the 1/2 half has its own merits, action isn’t the be all and end all. not sure about the animal bits though!…:(
xoxox excellent review as ever Miss!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Ems! I think you would like this. It would also make a really good movie!
xox
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emmakwall said:
I bet they’ll make it into one!! As I can’t get The Fireman yet (have emailed!)) I might look for this as a treat. Especially as Miss Peregrine wasn’t the spooky book I hoped for #hugs
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Oh! You have to let me know if you can get your hands on it Ems!
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emmakwall said:
It’s about the same price as The Fireman lol but will definitely read it soon!! 🙂 xxx
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Blimey! Books are pricey there!😕
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emmakwall said:
That’s on Amazon!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
It’s $12.93 on Amazon U.S.
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emmakwall said:
Pretty expensive there too then! I’ll get it when it comes down in price 🙂 it’s because they’re hardback new releases xoxi
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I know, right?! Um, Percy’s in paperback. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.😏
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emmakwall said:
Haha! Of course 🙂 I’m keeping my eyes peeled in charity shops for those xoxox
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’m so, sooo bad!
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emmakwall said:
Noooo! You’re sooooo soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo brilliant 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😘😘😘😘😘
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