My Best Friend's Exorcism: A Novel

I knew I recognized the story within this book. Seen the movie. I particularly didn't like the actress who had played, Abby. Moving forward, My Best Friend's Exorcism by, Grady Hendrix is a fun, nostalgic horror novel that blends 1980s teen angst with supernatural elements. Here are some of my thoughts: The book perfectly captures the 1980s setting, from the fashion and music to the social and cultural anxieties of the time. This creates a strong sense of immersion for readers. Hendrix balances the horror with a healthy dose of dark humor, making the book both frightening and entertaining. The dialogue is sharp and witty, adding to the overall enjoyment. While exaggerated for comedic effect, the teenage characters feel authentic and relatable, grappling with issues of friendship, identity, and social pressures. The premise of a teenage girl possessed by a demon is not entirely new, but Hendrix puts his own unique spin on it, incorporating elements of 1980s teen horror tropes and adding his signature blend of humor and horror. Some readers might find the plot predictable at times, especially if they are familiar with the tropes of teen horror and demonic possession. While the humor is generally effective, some readers might find certain aspects of the book to be overly exaggerated or cartoonish. Despite its occasional predictability and over-the-top elements, My Best Friend's Exorcism, is a highly entertaining and enjoyable read. It's a nostalgic trip down memory lane for anyone who grew up in the 1980s, and a fun, spooky read for fans of horror and dark humor. Would I recommend it? Yes, I would recommend My Best Friend's Exorcism to fans of horror, dark humor, and 1980s nostalgia. It's a quick and engaging read that will stay with you long after you finish it.

The nostalgia pulled me in immediately. The 80s setting felt authentic without being over-the-top, and the humor worked really well for me. It kept the story fun and engaging even when things started getting weird. At its core, what really made the book work was the friendship. Abby and Gretchen’s relationship felt genuine and grounded, which made everything that followed hit harder. That said, the first quarter dragged a bit. It took some time for the story to really find its footing. Once Gretchen’s behavior starts shifting and the possession element ramps up, though, the book becomes much more gripping. From that point on, I was fully invested. The horror itself leaned more unsettling than outright scary, which worked for me. Some moments were genuinely uncomfortable in a way that sticks with you… especially the dog scene. That one is burned into my brain. The tone balances creepy, ridiculous, and emotional in a way that somehow fits the story. The ending felt satisfying and earned, and it stayed true to what the book was really about underneath everything else — friendship. Overall, the biggest strengths here are the nostalgia and humor, while the slow start is really the main drawback. I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy horror with personality, humor, and heart, or anyone looking for a strong dose of retro atmosphere with their unsettling moments.

That book cover is perfection. I’d seen it out for a while under it’s original cover, the school photo of the girl with her back to the camera, all hunched over. But once I saw this I had to have it. Even if the book sucked, I must have this book cover. Because it’s lovely and reminds me of Blockbuster and video stores and all things cheesy horror. Lucky for me MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM far from sucked. OMG I swallowed this book whole. Definitely reminiscent of those older horror movies from the 80s where it starts off quirky and innocent and totally teenager and then it just takes a big ol’ flying leap off of a horror cliff once the crap starts hitting the fan. The only thing is I think the blurbs make it out to be far quirkier and silly than what it actually is. There’s some serious silliness at the very end that actually had me laughing and going ‘what the . . .’ in the middle of a seriously spooky scene, but that was about it. The culmination of the story is where the silliness really is. But everything else? It’s creepy and exactly what you’d think of an exorcist story without it taking itself all that seriously. I loved the song titles for chapter titles and how the 80s was there without being THERE in the story. Hendrix fit those aspects in seamlessly (like Abby’s makeup and hair, the mix tapes, the diet fads). It wasn’t just these time bomb drops meant to immerse you in the decade. The story did that excellently. If anything I’d compare this to Stranger Things with a little more humor and four chicks instead of four boys at the forefront. There were some aspects of this story that were creepy and cringeworthy. For all the quirkiness, Hendrix did his job working in the horror too. This would be an amazing Friday night Halloween horror movie as it drills into Abby’s life and upends everything. And what a great character. All of them were great characters, but Abby especially. You watch as everything around her falls apart and she just keeps hanging on and hanging on. Even when everything looks its absolute worst she still has a fingernail in the game. This is a re-read book, without a doubt. Even though there was one scene in particular that had me practically gagging. If you’ve read the book you know which one I’m talking about. Blech. But I am so happy this book turned out to be everything the cover told my soul it was. The world needs more of these books and I really, REALLY hope there’s a movie or a TV series or something in the pipeline for this. I really, really do. 5

This is the last of his books that I've read and to be honest, it was because of the cover art…yes yes I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and in this case, it's very true. The cover art is awful, exactly how I remember 80s Horror VHS video covers to be, but the book is excellent. Read it.

Grady Hendrix has a way of making you think "oh, surely there's nothing paranormal and beyond our mortal comprehension happening here" by distracting the reader with real life horrors such as adolescence and moral panics when it really do be Satan. For the most part it's more....dramatic? Than outright spooky, making the reader more and more uncomfortable and hopeless (but in a good way) up until the climax. The best friendship between Gretchen and Abby is really heartfelt. Don't let any one tell you men can't write good female leads.

Der Titel meiner Rezension ist glaube ich ein guter Indikator: wenn man beide Filme/Genres mag, wird einen dieses Buch von Grady Hendrix aus den Socken hauen! Ich habe die Charaktere geliebt, fand die Erzählstimme sehr realistisch „Teenie“, und fand vor allem das nostalgische 80s-Setting a la „Stranger Things“ total genial. Die Story überrascht mit vielen interessanten Wendungen, auch wenn man denkt, man wüsste durch die Prämisse schon, was alles passiert. Protagonistin Abby ist sehr sympathisch und ihre Aktionen immer nachvollziehbar, ihre Freunden Gretchen und alle anderen Nebencharaktere sind gut getroffen. Das Buch glänzt immer wieder mit viel schwarzem Humor und zynisch-pointierter Betrachtung des Teenager-Alltags. Trotz des Humors sind die gruseligen Stellen WIRKLICH gruselig, und der Plot so spannend, dass ich das Buch in zwei Session durchlesen musste, weil ich es einfach nicht zuklappen konnte. Ich werde auf jeden Fall nun auch Grady Hendrix‘ anderes Buch, HORRORSTÖR (über einen haunted Ikea!!) lesen, denn sein Schreibstil und das Worldbuilding haben mich total überzeugt.

Grady did it again and I absolutely loved this book about two girls who are best friends in the eighties (best decade ever!) And when one of them gets possessed and awful things happen, her best friend will not stop fighting for her soul. It's beautiful and gross and scary and sad and sweet and an excellent book. Definitely recommend it to horror fans. There's one scene that made me feel so ill and still does, concerning those milkshakes given to Margaret, I don't know how he came up with that one, but it's so gross. I loved the friendship between Abi and Gretchen, I loved that it was set in the South and I kept hearing Blanche from the Golden Girls in my head while I was reading it. A really fun and honest book about friendship and an amazing thriller. Though I still want to know what happened to Gretchen in the woods that night. Google, hear I come. As usual there were fun pictures and articles between chapters. I couldn't put it down! Highly recommend!

It’s a great book! I have to say that for me the first part was scarier and eventually got lighter even though it was supposed to be scarier, I guess. But even though, it’s a beautiful book about friendship, and it’s very easy and pleasant to read. It also surprised me that it was a male author because the girl’s, especially the adolescent girl’s perspective from a general view is very well depicted. I’d surely be reading more from this author.