Zengrrl's Book Review: Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky .. #BookReview #ImaginaryFriend #StephenChbosky #NetGalley

Zengrrl's Book Review of Imaginary Friend by Stephen Chbosky

Imaginary Friend is the latest novel by Stephen Chbosky. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because he also wrote the coming of age novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

But this book is nothing like that one.

The story starts when young Christopher Reese goes missing after he and his mom flee her abusive boyfriend to the small community of Mill Grove, Pennsylvania.

In a twist of fate, a young girl swerves her car to avoid a deer and sees Christopher at the edge of the woods six days later.

He seems unharmed, but his mother Kate soon recognizes her son is changing. He’s smarter, doing better in school…oh, and he has a new imaginary friend.

It’s a voice in his head only he can hear, with a mission only he can complete: Build a treehouse in the woods by Christmas, or his mother and everyone in the town will die.

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’d give it a 3.8 out of 5.

NOTE: This book came out in 2019, but I didn’t get a chance to review it right away. My apologies to the publisher.

Disclaimer: I received a e-book copy for review purposes from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other way. My opinion is honest, and as always, my own.

Disclaimer: This post uses Amazon affiliate links. It doesn’t add anything to your cost, should you choose to purchase something. Thanks!

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About zengrrl

I'm Michelle Snow, the writer and creator of Zengrrl. I write about travel, entertainment, women's issues, health, body positivity, and more, both for this blog and freelance. I have also authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida. If you aren't already following me, the links are below, as well as on the top right of this page. Thanks!