My Best Friend's Exorcism

A Novel

By: Grady Hendrix

Narrated by: Emily Woo Zeller

A heartwarming story of friendship and demonic possession.

The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since the 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?

Like an unholy hybrid of Beaches and The Exorcist, My Best Friend's Exorcism blends teen angst, adolescent drama, unspeakable horrors, and a mix of '80s pop songs into a pulse-pounding supernatural thriller.

©2016 Grady Hendrix (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

In My Top 5 Audiobooks

I picked this up as a Daily Deal and didn't have any expectations going in, but I loved it. I listened to it in two days--as close to non-stop as sleep and work permitted.

I'm not sure why, exactly--maybe because the friendship between Abbie and Gretchen felt so authentic? Hendrix writes fully-fleshed characters with real flaws and zits, gives you enough time to get to know them and like them, and then begins the crazy stuff, a lot of which is gross, and some of which is legitimately scary.

One thing that I found hard to take, though--there is an incident of animal cruelty. You'll see it coming. If that's something that bothers you as much as it does me, you can easily avoid it by fast-forwarding for a few minutes.

Don't try to listen in car

Story was okay. More like a commercial for the bands and brands of the '80's with a story thrown in. My biggest issue was the narrator. Her voice so soft on parts I had to turn my speakers up to heat her, only to be blasted by her shrill scream seconds later.

An Out of Nowhere HIT!

What did you love best about My Best Friend's Exorcism?

Because I believe that demonic possession can happen, I wasn't excited about getting to know the characters and seeing the downfall of Gretchen. My favorite part, however, would have to be the sick and twisted things that "Gretchen" does to her friends. I'm not going to spoil, so please read! They are incredibly SHOCKING!

What did you like best about this story?

Same question, but I'll put up something else. I loved how this experience (reading the book) was a combination of something horrific and the love and cherished friendship between Abbie and Gretchen. It made the possession part much less horrific.

What does Emily Woo Zeller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Zeller is stellar! Okay, that was so cheesy and I'm sorry for putting it that way; however, I haven't listened to many books where a narrator has had so much emotion put into it. I would compare her to Emma Galvin (The Poison Princess series, Divergent, and more). They both have youthful voices full of emotion and expression. There's no way I would've had that just reading the book. (Oh, and you know when a female narrator does the voice of a male character and you're like "Really? That is the dumbest fake masculine voice I've ever heard!"--Absolutely none of that! She didn't try to hard to make her voice sound like it was something that it wasn't.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I don't ever do this. It is, however, one of the books where I was watching television, and thinking, 'I could be listening to My Best Friend's Exorcism!' At which point, I would stop watching TV and listen to the book.

Any additional comments?

I don't know anything about Grady Hendrix and I haven't read her other book(s). (At least, I believe the author is female). However, I suggest this book to anyone who 1. Grew up in the 80's (full of references to that decade of music, film, etc.) 2. Is a girl or boy with a best friend you'd do anything for 3. Loves a story that makes you sink to the depths of despair without falling into the pit of despair. 4. I don't know, just read it! It's worth it!

So great!

Im a 48 year old man so when i read the description I was thinking this would be something i would stop listening to 10 minutes in. Wrong!!!! One of the best stories I have read. Engrossing all the way through. The end really made me think of lost friends I had from the 80’s and miss that time in my life. Not just a horror story bit one of friendship and love. Give it a listen. I think you will find a treasure!

Surprisingly good and gripping!

Where does My Best Friend's Exorcism rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Up there.

What did you like best about this story?

The plot was intense, the characters were well developed and the tension juxtaposed with the humor added the cherry on top.

What about Emily Woo Zeller’s performance did you like?

I am so impressed by Emily Woo Zeller. I can see why she's a star in the audiobook world. She brought nuance to every seen and depth to each character. After I finished MBFE, I searched for her other works.

Any additional comments?

There was one scene with a certain animal that was hard to take. To me, that was over the top. Otherwise, fantastic.

Great story, fun narrator

Honestly wasn't sure about the narrator to begin with, but I've heard such great things about Grady Hendrix that I had to give it a shot. The screams and character shifts were fantastic. Also way to describe some of the grossest things ever lol

Such a fun listen!!

Loved all the 80’s references and it was a great story! Can totally picture this as a Netflix series someday.

Super fun 80's-themed horror

loved every minute. great relationships and characters. some fairly gruesome content that was way too much fun :)

I expected a hook???

I loved the story. I loved the setting. The characters were relatable. Heck, I grew up in the 80’s and saw the strongmen evangelical guys ripping phone books in half and saying unintentionally hilarious things. The tropes were well researched and excellently placed. The friendship dynamic draws you in and makes you feel the adolescent angst. So what’s my beef? The exorcism was all well and good, pretty much. But with all said and done I was still waiting. Hell, I finished the book half an hour ago and I’m still waiting for the hook. You know, that moment where you feel safe and then something happens. Don’t get me wrong, I like a tidy ending. This one just didn’t feel right. Then again, when do demons and exorcism ever make things feel ‘right’?
Zeller is a top notch narrator.
I recommend this to anyone enjoying Vegas Merciless series or Blattys original The Exorcist.

Awesome story

An extremely fun and well written story that is beautifully read. Highly recommended. I will purchase a few more titles from Grady Hendrix.