I don’t read many horror books, almost none at all. They terrify me, they make me check that doors and windows are locked at night, but when they are also gripping and you can’t stop reading them, they are worth the chills and the door checking and Imaginary Friend is definitely worth it.

“Don’t leave the street. They can’t get you if you don’t leave the street.”

Christopher Reese and his mother Kate move to Mill Grove, Pennsylvania, to start a new life. Kate’s struggling to make ends meet while Christopher is struggling at school. One afternoon, he wanders into the Mission Street Woods and he is only found six days later with no memory of the missing time. After Christopher’s return, their luck turns, but Christopher also starts to behave strangely and he is not the only one in town.

First of all, yes, the book is long, more than 700 pages, but every page, every scene, every subplot, every perspective counts. I was glued to the pages, immersed in the engaging and dark story, the real and imaginary worlds, the excellent characters, the hissing woman, the mailbox people, the nice man, and the surprising and genius last sentence.

The characters are brilliant. I really liked the characters of Christopher and Kate as humans. Their struggle, their suffering, the poverty, the abuse… I really felt for them. I loved how strong their relationship is, how they love each other and would do anything to protect each other. Other favorites are the sheriff (who I kept picturing as Jim Hopper from Stranger Things), who has demons from his past to face, and Ambrose, still grieving over the death of his younger brother fifty-years earlier.

The author created quite an original and incredible story with the build-up of the suspense, the haunting aspects, and the vivid descriptions that may give nightmares. There are themes of religion (which has a strong presence in the story), of good versus evil, of mental illness and sexual abuse which don’t make for an easy read, but Imaginary Friend is a terrific and memorable story and I won’t easily forget it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
As I was starting this book, I felt like I was watching a horror movie in my mind. The way this book builds tension and raises anxiety! I feel like I learned how to speed read just getting caught up in this story. Without giving anything away, this is a story about good and evil, the power of love and forgiveness. But that doesn't sound very horror. I promise it is super gory. At least if you have a love of horror and an imagination like I do.
I hesitated to start this as it is such a long story, however, I'm glad I did. It never felt like it was dragging. There are many characters. I hope since Chbosky's other novel was made into a movie, this one will be as well. I would certainly love to see it. Tim Burton definitely comes to mind.

Stephen Chbosky takes his readers into a dark world in Imaginary Friend. His story is creepy and chilling. Chbosky masters the art of the horror story, but I felt like some parts dragged on. I think he could've easily shortened his story without taking away from it.

I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. I did think it was way too long and drug out in spots which made it hard to stay invested and read.

I received this book from netgalley and the publisher in return for my honest opinion.

I was beyond excited to read another book by this author, because they are extremely talented and I loved The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved the idea that this was a completely different genre, but also one that I love. The fact that it’s been so long between this and the last I read by this author really made me enjoy it more than I think I would have if it came out soon after the last.

The story was very creepy and strange. It took the weirdest turn I think I’ve ever read, but wow did it work for this book. I was enthralled and entertained the whole time reading, partly from the author’s writing style, and partly because the storyline was so unique.

I would love to see this as a movie, I feel like this would be excellent if the author worked on the screenplay. It could definitely work as a Netflix, Hulu, etc. series as long as the author has say. Overall if you need a nice creepy autumn read look no further. I also need to note the synopsis is perfection!

I’m mad I read this. First and foremost- this was WAY. TOO. LONG. Like 400 pages too long. Second- this whole religious theme went way too far. Now I just feel like I read a Christian horror. Seriously, I hated this.

I really enjoyed the characters and the plot. Creepy books are my thing and I really liked the creepiness factor of this one. I did think it was way too long and drug out in spots which made it hard to stay invested and read.

This book is a slow burn, that starts off dabbling in the supernatural, then midway through, starts integrating Christian theology into the horror aspects. There were some nice twists at the end, too.

The main problem with this book is it's too way long - they could've easily dropped 100 pages or more without sacrificing the story.

Also, the author made Christopher 7, but I had an easier time believing the story by thinking he and his friends were pre-teens.

Bottom line: If you can make it through the first third of the book, and aren't put off by the religious allegories that author uses to build the horror, you'll find it a decent and creepy read.

I really enjoyed Imaginary Friend, it took me a while to get through it though. I gave this a four out of five stars. I was also reading other things and put this down for a couple of weeks and tried reading other things. That's when I got into a reading slump. I'm glad I was able to pick it back up and finish it. This was a super interesting read and like a lot of the aspects in it.

Creepy and fantastic. The characters and images will stick with you. However, it was a bit too long for my taste.

I really enjoyed this book! This is a big book and somewhat intimidating due to its length. It is a big story though and I felt like all of those pages really were necessary. I have not read this author's previous novel but as soon as I saw this book, I knew that I needed to get my hands on a copy. My instincts were right and this book ended up being a wonderful experience.

Christopher and his mother, Kate, begin this journey in the middle of the night fleeing Kate's abusive boyfriend. They end up in a small town in Pennsylvania where Kate starts a job at the nursing home and Christopher starts making friends at school. They live in a hotel room and Christopher appreciates all of the small things his mother does for him. Then Christopher goes missing for an entire week and everything changes.

This is Christopher's story but it is also the story of all of the town's residents. We get to learn the backgrounds, the secrets, and motivations for all of the key players in town. Each piece of knowledge adds to the overall story and I loved it when a piece of the puzzle snapped into place. I thought that the story was really imaginative and there were some pretty amazing twists that I never saw coming. The cast of characters was quite large and very well done.

Christine Lakin did a fabulous job with the narration. She handled a very large cast of characters incredibly well with each character sounding unique. I thought that she added a lot of excitement into the story as well as the character's emotions. She has a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time. This was my first experience in listening to her narration work and I was very impressed.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought this was a very well done story that was entertaining from beginning to end. I am thinking it might finally be time to give The Perks of Being a Wallflower at try.

I received a review copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing and I borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

I began reading Stephen Chbosky's Imaginary Friend on January 27 and didn't finish it until April 13. I don't think it was necessarily because the book was 705 pages but because the story simply became boring and repetitive.

Imaginary Friend centers around Christopher, a little boy just seven years old. He leaves an abusive household in the middle of the night with his mother, who is hopeful they can start a new life where they can't be found. The beginning of the book when this is happening sucks you right in. Then, things start to become ridiculous. Christopher gets lost in the woods and goes missing for six days. When he returns, he is a changed boy and needs to get his friends to immediately help him build a treehouse back in the woods. This treehouse becomes central to the plot but not in an interesting way.

The story goes back and forth between an "imaginary" side and the real side and later, its religious overtones are revealed. Through all this, the only characters I really cared about were Christopher and his mother. But it's hard to stay engaged even with them when they are interacting with a white plastic bag, an army of deer, and a "hissing lady." Unfortunately, Imaginary Friend could have been half the length and still not been successful in telling an interesting story.

MY RATING - 2

I was excited to check as this book, as I was on a huge horror kick. Sadly, this book did not live up to my expectations at all. This book was far too long for its own good, leading to me being bored, resulting in the reading experience being a slog. By the time the reveal came around, I didn't care about anything going on in this book. Also, the reveal was just a bit too weird with everything going on, leading to some major head-scratching about characters I did not care about at all.

I think this book would've benefitted by being trimmed down by a couple hundred pages. That being said, this book had impeccable atmosphere and is something that fans of Stephen King may enjoy.

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often to lovers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels!

Brilliant literary horror! Interesting characters, detailed, well-thought out plot, great world building. The book kept me intrigued from the first page until the last! Great novel!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As with any book by Stephen Chbosky, it was a winner. I really enjoyed this book a lot. It is a LONG story but worth every page.

Chbosky has a fantastic way with words and imagery.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Stephen Chbosky’s IMAGINARY FRIEND is 720 pages but I promise it is worth every single haunting page. I switched back and forth between the audiobook and physical copy which I highly recommend.

Kate Reese escapes an abusive boyfriend with her seven-year-old son Christopher in order to make a better life and ends up in a small suburban town in Pennsylvania called Mill Grove. Christopher is such a sweet, optimistic kid who continues to struggle in school with dyslexia but is determined to overcome it and always do his best. One day when his mother is late picking him up from school, Christopher disappears without a trace. He is gone for six days before he returns and after that, nothing is ever quite the same.

IMAGINARY FRIEND is an incredibly unique story with vivid imagery and fantastic characters. Chbosky is a superbly talented writer and storyteller. This original, bizarre, not-so-little book is written with some very dark themes but done so brilliantly it captivated me from start to finish. I enjoyed the slow build up of the author laying the groundwork and getting to know each character before being thrown into the heart of the story. There are so many moving pieces that are amazingly well done, everything from the “stay out of the woods” aspect to religious undertones, to childhood friendships, to the bond of mother and son. I think it says something that it took the author twenty years to publish this because every strange, creepy detail is thoughtful and written with purpose.

If you enjoy a nostalgic, good versus evil horror literary story with child protagonists, then you will eat this book up.

This started off really strong, but I gotta be honest with you all: this book was so slow half way through. This book was just way too long with not enough pay off. The biggest meh.

As much as I wanted to like this book it just didn't work out in my favor. I found the pacing to be very slow and for a book of this length I need a faster speed. The kids are 7 years old but seem way older and that threw my mind for a loop. I loved Perks of Being A Wallflower and really wanted to enjoy this book but sadly it ended up being a did not finish for me.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">