Book Review // MY BEST FRIEND'S EXORCISM by Grady Hendrix

My Rating: 5 stars ✰✰✰✰✰

“By the power of Phil Collins, I rebuke you!”

My Best Friend's Exorcism, is officially the second Grady Hendrix novel I have read (I read Horrorstör shortly after it came out in 2014), and I wasn't disappointed by this second foray into his work. I thoroughly enjoy Hendrix's brand of comedy-horror, how he takes off-beat concepts (A haunted IKEA! An '80s teen movie, but with more demonic possession!) and turns them into genuinely scary, engaging stories.

My Best Friend's Exorcism follows the story of Abby and Gretchen, two girls who became friends in elementary school after Gretchen was the only one to show up to Abby's roller-skating party. They go through all the typical drama that comes with being teen girls -- until high school, when Gretchen becomes possessed by a demonic entity. Then it's a whole new kind of drama.

One thing that I really loved about this novel is the pacing. Part John Hughes movie, part The Exorcist, Hendrix knew exactly where to inject the plot with humor, pop culture references, or suspense for it to be most effective. While Hendrix plays with a lot of tried-and-true tropes of teen flicks and possession horror, the book doesn't feel at all derivative or disingenuous. The characters were all incredibly believable and well-written, and I am similarly amazed how well an adult man was able to capture the essence of a friendship between two teen girls, but I guess it just goes to show the true strength of Hendrix's writing chops.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes nostalgic '80s teen movies but just wishes they'd've had a few more demons in them. Or just anyone with a good sense of humor and a solid appreciation of fear-induced adrenaline rushes.

Originally published on Goodreads.com.