This was such a fun read.
I loved diving into the 80’s era; the fashion, the roller skating scenes, amongst other things, really set the vibe and it felt very authentic!
The overall theme of the book is a mashup of some familiar things, like The Exorcist and Carrie, and it really feels very nostalgic to read. Although I wasn’t born until the 90’s, I’ve watched plenty of TV and movies from/about the 80’s, some of which blended into the 90’s, so it felt quite familiar to me. I also loved that there were so many references to pop culture, such as Madonna, and certain songs/lyrics were threaded throughout the story, including a particular song that actually helped Abby during an incredibly difficult moment.
Abby and Gretchen’s relationship was cute, although Abby could be quite selfish on occasion, but you could clearly tell they were made to be best friends. It was a brilliant dynamic between them, and it was clear that Abby was desperate to help her friend, even when no one else could see that she’s wasn’t okay, and Abby was actually frozen out by a lot of people (Gretchen’s parents really pissed me off!).
The exorcism side of things was cleverly done also, I enjoyed the character of Christian, and although felt disappointed that he wasn't as good an Exorcist as we were first led to believe, it meant that Abby had her 'moment'.
It’s the usual balance of Horror and comedy that you see with Grady’s writing, and in my opinion, it works incredibly well. I cannot fault a thing about this novel, I enjoyed it 1000% and will definitely be recommending it to plenty of people!
I can’t really say much else without fully going into details and spoiling it, so I’ll just leave you with the fact that it is wonderfully clever, and I am yet to be disappointed by one of Grady’s books!
5/5 stars
