This is the book that brings your childhood fears to LIFE. Woah! I was a bit nervous going into this one based on the length of the book. However, once I started reading it felt like I couldn't (and didn't want to) stop! Don't be afraid of the page count here people, be afraid of what lies within the pages!

What a fantastic read!

You know... I liked this book. I really did. If I finish an 850 page book, in one week at that, I feel like that must mean it was good, right? But holy cow... when I finished I still couldn't help but feel like there was some of my life that I won't get back. And that is never good. 

To start out-- Imaginary Friend was just way too long and drawn out. And when I say that, I mean that it could have been about three hundred plus pages less than what it was. Throughout the reading process-- I would get way too sidetracked or take a break from the book and read and finish another book. I just thought it was the type of book that was long for unnecessary reasons. The substance just wasn't there.

The first half of the book was FIRE. If the entire book would have been like the first half-- it would have been an easy five star for me. But then, you start the dreaded second half. The second half of the book was just entirely way too repetitive. Which goes back to what I said above about having a lot of it cut out. It definitely wouldn't of hurt the story in the least bit. 

Another thing I had a hard time with was the children. Had they been a little bit older, I think it would have all been more believable. But seven year old children in this story is just a bit too extreme for me.

I feel like for his first book in twenty years, since a powerful young adult novel at that, the author did a damn good job. I really enjoyed the overall theme of this one, the whole good vs. evil and the way it shows itself. I also finished it. I'm so proud of myself for that. I could have easily put it down and moved on but something kept bringing me back to it and flipping the pages. So, props to the author for that.

WOW!!!! This is a fantastic book! But if you have come to this book expecting another story like THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, this is not the book for you. IMAGINARY FRIEND is about a seven-year-old boy, his mother and the pack of friends he assembles to help him fight an evil force in their town. Think THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE meets IT. Fantastic, right? the characterization was every bit as good as Stephen King's and IMAGINARY FRIEND is as good an adventure story as any in the Narnia series and will make you ponder the nature of god (both little and big G). What was also wonderful was that even when you think you know who is good and who is not, you are probably wrong. The plot will keep you guessing all the way to the very end. I can't wait to see what Chbosky comes up with next because IMAGINARY FRIEND just blew me away!

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” This quote could not have been more perfect. This book was exhausting in the best possible way. Think Stranger Things, IT and Spirited Away all wrapped into one beautiful book.

Grand Central Press recently offered me a chance to read and review in Netgalley, an ARC e-book of Stephen Chbosky's second novel, Imaginary Friend, in advance of the book's October, 2019, release.

Chbosky's first book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, was a coming-of-age teen drama of an introverted and friendless boy who struggles with issues from his past. Imaginary Friend, debuting twenty years after Perks, also features a child protagonist. This new book is less warm and fuzzy with a much darker theme - the eternal battle against good and evil centered in an out-of-the-way town. This book seemed to offer a diversion from the overtly religious themed books I have reviewed in the past weeks.

Christopher and his mother, Kate, are fleeing an abusive home life in the dead of night. Kate has chosen to move to Mill Grove, Pennsylvania; the typical out-of-the-way town with little to attract the attention of the outside faster paced world.

The story develops slowly at first, taunting, tantalizing the reader with a glimpse into the minds of the residents. Hidden behind the pleasant atmosphere lies the gray side of each person; lives lived on the knife edge of right and wrong. Townsfolk and the school children, on the whole, are decent people. Each has issues. Some a hot temper. Others jealous. Most devote Christians. Typical small town.

Christopher suffers from a learning disability that places him in the special education program at school. Typical of schools everywhere, bullies thrive and victims coalesce for support. His one comfort is the beautiful sky and the large smiling cloud that always greets him in the morning and follows him where ever he goes.

Christopher begins to hear voices and messages that he can't decipher. One day he drawn into the densely forested and foreboding Mission Street Woods. Despite a town wide manhunt, no sign of Christopher is found. Mysteriously, six days later, Christopher reappears and it is immediately obvious that something happened in those woods to change him. And the reader begins to note that the atmosphere in town is growing creepy and scary.

The story is hard-charging at this point and nearly impossible to put down. Supernatural creatures, seen only by Christopher, float through town screaming and battling one another. The deer in the forest seem possessed and appear in the weirdest moments; almost like stalkers. Christopher is aware that he can read minds and that his touch has a chilling affect on anyone he lays a hand upon.

Then the story reaches it climax before beginning to struggle. No pun intended; all hell was breaking loose in Mill Grove. One particular character, a teen girl, the one that was making a deal with God when she was about to break her curfew and discovered Christopher standing in the middle of the street at midnight, begins to play a more prominent role. A role with heavy religious themes; too much in my opinion.

All this happens by page 350. There are over 350 more pages to go. The book has a five star start and fizzles toward the end repeating the same violent scenes over and over. I found myself at one point wondering if I had inadvertently changed my e-book location back a couple of hundred pages. In my humble opinion, the book could lose those last 350+ pages.

It is has the potential to become a best seller and there is plenty of time between now and October to stop the repetitive scenes. The character development is believable and the central theme of good vs evil is well played out. There is so much to like here. Just not so much of the same over and over.

I posted a pic of this title on my IG and mentioned how it was giving me Stephen King vibes. And it did. Only, that stopped half-way through and let me just say I was disappointed. I really enjoyed parts of this story, but as it progressed and we got towards the ending I just didn't like it all that much. Of course, I kept reading, because I was convinced it would get better. Well, it didn't. First of all, this book was way too long - what happened to the editor? Secondly, repetition does not a good story make. Third, what was the deal with that resolution - the ending - ugh. I so wanted to love this one, but it just didn't happen. This is the story of Christopher and his mom Kate - they move to a new town and luck seems to be on their side until is really isn't. And that is all I will say. This is a book that I keep hearing is awesome, but I just don't agree. If you do check it out, let me know what you think - maybe I missed something.

7 1/2 year old Christopher and his mom run away from abusive boyfriend Jerry ending up in a small PA town. Poor and living in a motel, although his mom just got a job at the old folks home, Christopher is badly beat up his first day of school, ending in the hospital, Christopher tries to be brave and do well in school, although he has trouble learning and only wants to protect his mom, especially after his father died by committing suicide. He follows a cloud into the woods where he disappears for six days. When he returns he realizes he is smart and has changed. His mom wins the lottery using his math test answers and they are able buy a house, Christopher and his mom now have friends and life is much better. But it isn’t.
This is a horror novel at its best. I read it on my kindle and when I was 38% along, I already felt I had read a full books worth. The characters, good and bad, are fully developed and the plot has many good twists and turns. However the second half is way too long, and too repetitive. The same thing kept happening over and over. How many times must one character be beaten? I sometimes felt I was in the nightmare and wanted to wake up, and was really glad when the book finished. 3.5 stars, mostly because the premise was great, but the execution too long winded.

I had the pleasure of reading this before its publication date, through NetGalley, so thank you to them and also Grand Central Publishing for this ARC!

Now, Stephen Chbosky's name was a big draw for me because I haven't seen anything from him since The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is a classic for my generation. The synopsis of this book also had me hooked:

Single mother Kate Reese is on the run. Determined to improve life for her and her son, she flees an abusive relationship in the middle of the night with Christopher at her side. Together, they find themselves drawn to the tight-knit community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania. It's as far off the beaten track as they can get. Just one highway in, one highway out.

At first, it seems like the perfect place to finally settle down. Then Christopher vanishes. For six awful days, no one can find him. Until Christopher emerges from the woods at the edge of town, unharmed but not unchanged. He returns with a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a tree house in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone in the town will never be the same again.

Soon Kate and Christopher find themselves in the fight of their lives, caught in the middle of a war playing out between good and evil, with their small town as the battleground.

I am giving this book 3.5 stars because I really did enjoy it, I just felt that it could've been much shorter. Towards the second half, things get very repetitive not just in theme but in the words said by certain characters. I couldn't get it out of my head that I had already read certain sections of the book already because they were so similar to parts that had already happened. I wish that it had moved a little faster for that reason, because by the end I knew what would happen and that everything would end up well for our heroes and heroine. I didn't love all the Christian imagery, it felt like it was being laid on a little thick in some places with Mary Katherine's whole story. I can understand and love a story about the forces of evil and good and all that, but there was just a little too much for my taste. BUT! All of that aside, I did love all of the twists that this book threw at me. There were so many things that I thought I understood, only to have it turned completely on its head! I think that that is the mark of a good horror writer - being able to surprise you when you think you know what is happening. All in all, I'm very glad I got to read this early, and I hope that Chbosky continues to write new material.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available to purchase on October first.

As soon as I started this book, I was presented with a problem: Do I read it as quickly as possible to see what happens next? Or do I drag it out as long as I can, enjoying Stephen Chobsky’s fantastic writing? I’m sure you, reader, have been in this position before. Ultimately, the choice was made for me; I couldn’t put this book down.

I’ll start with the characters. They were wonderfully three-dimensional, every one of them. Christopher was such a sweet little boy and I absolutely loved his mom. She was a fighter in every sense of the word. With the many characters this book had, the fact that they were all well developed and had distinct personalities was impressive, to say the least.

In this book, Christopher goes missing for several days. He shows up again, thanks to “the nice man”, whom no-one else has seen. He’s not the same, though. He has a friend that no one else can see. Thanks to this friendship, Christopher learns that he has a very important job that only he can complete. If he doesn’t finish by Christmas, all hell will break loose.

Normally at this point in a horror review, an excellent writer will be called “the next Stephen King”, or some such thing. I can’t do that, though. Chobsky’s writing is so unique that there’s no comparing it to anyone else. His book was very cerebral. To be honest, it got under my skin. He has a knack for knowing exactly what wigs me out. There are layers upon layers in this book, and it kept me fascinated from start to finish.

I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say this: this is a horror book and some people do horrific things. There might be things that would trigger some, so be aware of that as you read. Normally, some of the things touched upon would really bother me, but it was written in a way that I was able to handle.

For those who haven’t recognized the name, Stephen Chobsky is the author of the absolutely incredible The Perks of Being a Wallflower (if you haven’t read it yet, you really need to rectify that problem. I’ll wait). The fact that he is able to write such disparate genres speaks highly of his ability to weave a tale. He also somehow managed to make me tear up at parts, then scare the living daylights out of me a chapter later. He is a master in his craft.

Read this book.

This was . . . okay. I think it could have been a lot shorter and conveyed the same tone and plot. It was more repetitive than I generally enjoy - it evoked the feeling of waking up from a dream inside a dream, but over and over and over again. It was certainly compelling. I had a hard time putting it down for the two days it took to read, but I found myself pretty dissatisfied with the conclusion. Maybe I'm just not a speculative horror person? There were some genuinely creepy moments, at least.