My Best Friend's Exorcism: A Novel
Soon to be a major motion picture.
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, this unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist blends teen angst and unspeakable horrors into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.
The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, this unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist blends teen angst and unspeakable horrors into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.
The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act…different. She’s moody. She’s irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she’s nearby. Abby’s investigation leads her to some startling discoveries—and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?
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Readers say *My Best Friend’s Exorcism* masterfully captures 1980s nostalgia with vivid imagery and a strong horror movie vibe, enhanced in audiobook ...
I absolutely loved My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix.
At first, it felt like a fun, slightly campy 1988 throwback. The pop culture references made me laugh and smile, but they also highlighted some of the harsher realities of the time. The attitudes toward the LGBTQ community and the fear surrounding AIDS were frustrating and uncomfortable to read — but in a way that felt honest and true to the era. The way adults dismissed Abby when she tried to ask for help was especially infuriating, and that realism made the story hit even harder.
Yes, this is a supernatural horror novel. And when it finally goes there? It goes HARD. The first half carefully builds the foundation, and then the ending absolutely does not let up. It’s intense, unsettling, and completely gripping.
But underneath the possession, the horror, and the chaos, this is really a story about friendship. About loyalty. About loving someone enough to fight for them when no one else will. And that’s what made it so powerful for me.
This officially takes the top spot as my favorite Grady Hendrix book. I loved it.
This is my second read from Grady and so far I love his writing style. This book gives you major 80s horror movie vibes. I loved the imagery at times it really felt like you were apart of the story. One part in particular gave me goose bumps was the beginning of chapter I would die for you when the demon speaks in tongues. Man it was crazy hearing the voice changes when listing to the audiobook. Great book.
Abby and Gretchen have been friends since the fourth grade. One night (as teenagers in 1988) they are at a friend’s house boating, swimming, tanning, and experimenting with LSD when a very naked Gretchen jumps into the water and ends up getting lost in the woods. When her friends find her the next morning, she is disoriented and not behaving like herself. As the days go by, she becomes more and more different until it’s clear something happened to Gretchen in those woods. Abby is determined to find out what.
This is a book for those that love the nostalgia of the 1980s. However, research your trigger warnings beforehand because some of what happens in this book is disgusting and there is one very upsetting moment involving a dog.
While I enjoyed it, there is something about it that holds me back from giving it 5 stars, but I can’t put my finger on what! Maybe the ending was a bit anticlimactic with the final confrontation? I don’t know! However, definitely a solid horror read!
This is a book for those that love the nostalgia of the 1980s. However, research your trigger warnings beforehand because some of what happens in this book is disgusting and there is one very upsetting moment involving a dog.
While I enjoyed it, there is something about it that holds me back from giving it 5 stars, but I can’t put my finger on what! Maybe the ending was a bit anticlimactic with the final confrontation? I don’t know! However, definitely a solid horror read!
“She and Gretchen spent hours ranking their friendships, trying to determine who was a best friend and who was an everyday friend, debating whether anyone could have two best friends at the same time, writing each other's names over and over in purple ink, buzzed on the dopamine high of belonging to someone else, having a total stranger choose you, someone who wanted to know you, another person who cared that you were alive.
She and Gretchen were best friends, and then came that fall. And they fell. And the exorcist saved her life.”
She and Gretchen were best friends, and then came that fall. And they fell. And the exorcist saved her life.”
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