I read MBFE when it first came out. I wasn't as hyped about it as I was Horrorstor, but in the intervening year I can see that it is the superior effort.
MBFE came out in a year chock full of excellent horror novels and stands with them, easily keeping its place as one of the years best.

I wasn't expecting a lot from this one, but was pleasantly surprised by how I was able to connect with the characters. I will definitely recommend this work to my library patrons.

Ummm... This book, you guys? Where do I even begin? Even though it started off just weird and slow, once I got into it, I was hooked with a preoccupying, thinking-about-it-when-not-reading, need-to-finish-it-now type of attraction. Seriously, I'm thirty something years old, and this book had me reading it while looking around the dang room. I haven't felt that heart-pounding level of book fear since I was a teenager reading old Fear Street tomes.

So, was the writing brilliant? Not flashy or wordy, the writing does an amazing job of taking you deep within the character, planting little hints for future reference, and caring about what happens. I cringed so many times, teared up a bit, and found myself filing pieces away in my head to think about where Grady Hendrix might be heading. Isn't that the beauty of reading?

I loved the 80s references - which makes this gal wonder if it may not be better suited for thirty something readers than teen readers. However, I know teens in my school right now who would devour this book. (That's why we are getting a copy!) The over-arching theme of friendship and love for your friends was refreshing and unexpected in a horror novel.

Grady Hendrix can do no wrong, really. I love all his work. This one is a bit more...relatable than Horrorstor, but horrorstor will always have a special place my heart. I loved the design of this, the execution the whole thing. It was the perfect amount of normal fiction and weird.

I loved Grady Hendrix's Horrorstör so I couldn't wait to read this. It did not disappoint--I couldn't put it down!

A highly entertaining horror read with lots of 80's nostalgia.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy the humorous tone of this book quite so much. Very entertaining.

I loved this book so much! It was a lot spookier than I had originally anticipated (i thought it would be more akin to a b-grade film). It also dealt rather unexpectedly with a fair few real-world issues, and I probably would have liked a bit of warning in that regard. In the in the end however, it all just added to the attraction and I ended up loving it, even if i am a little tentative in my recommending it to people. Overall though, it is a wonderful book that goes to prove that sometimes friendship really can save your life!

I have been looking for a light style YA horror novel for my preteen daughter to read and I have definitely found it. I enjoyed the background story of the friendship between Abby and Gretchen and how far a loyal friend will go to help their best friend. The book seems like a cross between Fried Green Tomatoes (the besties)/ and a mild version of The Exorcist. It wasn't as deep or horrifying as The Exorcist but then this is a YA novel and I think it is perfect for people in that age range. There is a bit of humor in it that lightens it up a bit and I also love how the author gradually builds up the novel. The friendship between Abby and Gretchen is definitely a major key to the book and he takes his time developing their characters and their connection to each other. All in all, I found this to be a fun read and have mentioned it to my daughter's junior high school to add to their collection.

If John Hughes had ever made a horror movie, it would have turned out something like Grady Hendrix’s excellent novel.
A wonderful story of friendship, growing up and battling a demon inside your best friend, it’s a witty, heartfelt tale rich in character and steeped in 1980s nostalgia. While marketed as a horror novel — and it certainly fits the bill in the final third — much of what makes this work is the interplay of character between Abby and Gretchen. Throw in all the trials and tribulations of trying to fit in at an exclusive high school, religion and a touch of teenage rebellion and it works on so many levels.
One of the best horror novels to come out of 2016.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

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 help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

Hard to categorise - but easy to enjoy!

I had not long read the previous book by Hendrix, Horrorstör, and had absolutely loved it. A clever idea, great writing and even doses of humour and the supernatural to keep us from getting settled, as this is certainly more "horror" than the previous title.

This book is just as inventive as it is fun. 80s flashbacks and exorcisms aren't usually two themes you hear connected in one book but it is the case here. While the overaching theme is the friendship between Abby and Gretchen (which is done remarkably well), it is the balance between the two disparate themes that makes this book a winner for me.

One other thing that needs to be mentioned is the final exorcism / finale - it just felt a little flat to me. After the great build up for the previous 300 pages, the ending just let me down, I guess.

Having said all that, this is a brilliant read and you will just have to discover it for yourself and see if I am wrong about the ending...


Paul
ARH

3.4

“Well, at least it was ONLY your best friend…” -Bella Swan, Twilight
I always go into reading a book with such a great title scared that it is a Bait and Switch. So it is with relief that I can report, this really is a horror story, creepy and scary, that is overcome by friendship. While even this might give away some aspects of the story, I just wanted you to know. [I am seeing some indications that horror in general, not vampire or fey or werewolves, is a growing interest in YA readers, so publishers/authors take note].
That being said, you have been warned by the title that this is religious horror….. so don’t read it if that upsets you. Frankly, the only kind of horror I like is religious since then I know for certainly that whatever is bad in the story has a chance to be counteracted by good. Thus I read this story happily.
The writing is solid and the interactions between characters are believable. It can be graphic and gross but for a horror book isn’t gratuitous. I give it a 3.4 average. A good buy for libraries with readers who will enjoy this genre.
5 for reading it all the way through in one sitting (in so much that that is possible for me)
3 for story arc since there wasn’t much unexpected but there were no holes in my mind
3 for expanding my horizons since I felt no need to look anything up
3 for humor/cleverness since nothing struck me as such but generated no specific negative feelings either
3 for voice as the characters sounded distinct from each other but not noteworthy beyond that

High school in the 80's and a demonic possession! Awesome combo! I think Grady Hendrix is one of my must-read authors now.

My Best Friend's Exorcism

mbfecovAuthor: Grady Hendrix
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Quirk Books

Full of 80s pop culture nostalgia, Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism hit bookshelves are just the right time. Much like Brian K. Vaughn's Paper Girls and Netflix's hit series, Stranger Things, that nostalgia really helps set the tone for the novel.

The story follows a girl named Abby who begins to realize her best friend, Gretchen, may not just be going through the usual changes girls undergo in high school. Gretchen becomes almost a completely different person and when strange things start happening to other girls in their year, Abby starts to realize that she might actually be possessed.

Pulling from so many retro influences, the story is a really fast-paced ride full of twists and turns that ultimately comes to focus on the enduring nature of friendship (and, of course, pop culture). The ending was a little lackluster but the whole story leading up to it is absolutely perfect. This is definitely a great book and one of our most entertaining reads of the year.

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In the interest of full disclosure: review copies of Dark Matter, The Wolf Road, Cross Talk, Too Like the Lightning, My Best Friend's Exorcism, Ghost Talkers, The Secret Loves of Geek Girls, and The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love were provided in either digital or hardcopy by their respective publishers for the purpose of review over the past year or so. Our opinions are ours and ours alone. We earnestly believe that the books on this list deserve to be on this list.

This book was a real page turner! I enjoyed reading My Best Friend's Exorcism.

Recommended for: People who grew up in the 80’s, fans of John Hughes movies, fans of horror novels/movies or exorcism, friends reading books about friendships, for both adults and mature young adults. Not recommended for queasy people or people who don’t want to read about harm to animals.

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is a fun horror novel that’s on the lighter side that’s almost more about the power of friendship than it is about demon possession. Though there’s also humor weaved throughout, I found this book just scary enough to capture my attention the entire way through (I stayed up until almost 2 in the morning on a work night to finish it). The format is super readable, and the chapter names are song titles from the 80’s, which is a quirk a lot of readers love (I personally didn’t even know half the songs because I grew up under a rock in the 90s). It reads a bit like YA but should not be categorized as such--some scenes actually made me queasy and it’s too dark overall for even teen horror.

I didn’t like the ending, and I also had problems with all the plot holes. For example: you know from the synopsis or all the other reviews on Goodreads that Gretchen has a “bad trip” and gets lost in the woods overnight, but later when she tries to actually tell Abby what happened, she doesn’t, and Abby never actually asks her again, even years later. WTF?! Like, this is maybe a minor spoiler: how the heck DOES she get possessed? I really REALLY want to know. I’m that person who doesn’t like it when everything is explainable but darned if I’m not going to be upset when things are “left to my imagination.” There was no evidence beforehand that Gretchen would be possessed, so why did it happen?

Lastly, having grown up conservative Christian, I would not recommend this for people of faith (because who am I to judge who’s gonna pick this up in the first place) because, well, spoilers, but basically it totally makes fun of traditional, faith-practicing exorcists and the Bible. It didn’t bother me because I have a complicated relationship with faith right now but I also knew not to take it too seriously. It’s a “fun” read, not a serious horror trip like The Exorcist. You won’t like it if you compare it. Yeah, I don’t even know why it was necessary to say that, but while reading it I imagined all the Sunday school teachers of my past freaking the fuck out at what I was reading. Oh well!

In conclusion, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is probably the best horror novel I’ve read so far… ever! I was pleasantly surprised, and if you’re okay with a few loose ends and some cringe-worthy content, this book will satisfy those with a love for the macabre and 80s music for sure!

Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.