Imaginary Friend

By: Stephen Chbosky

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

Length: 24 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's Summary

Kate Reese is a single mother fleeing an abusive relationship by starting over in a new town, with her young son, Christopher. But Mill Grove, Pennsylvania, is not the safe place they thought it would be....

Their world begins to unravel after Christopher vanishes into the Mission Street Woods - where 50 years earlier an eerily similar disappearance occurred. When he emerges six days later, unharmed but not unchanged, he brings with him a secret: a voice only he can hear and a warning of tragedy to come.

What follows is a moving, thrilling, chilling modern masterpiece on a par with the very best of Stephen King....

©2019 Stephen Chbosky (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group

Stephen King lite

It needed a bettter editor, it could have been cut in half and it would have been ok.

Could have been shorter

There is some fantastic writing here and the narration is stellar...but this book goes on. And on. And on. It starts off super creepy and works early on as a horror, but around midway it feels like it devolves into some form of religious time. I can appreciate the exploration of religious themes, but after revealing the religious “twist,” it could have ended WAY sooner. Still, a good book.

Stephen King lite!

I liked it a lot. But it could have been a little shorter. Bu I still recommend it!

Fantastic unexpected find!

This book had no reviews when I came across it (usually I take this as a bad sign...) but I took a chance and downloaded it anyway and I'm so glad I did! For fans of Paul Tremblay, C J Tudor and Stephen King- this book will be right up your street. The story begins subtly and builds to an epic battle between good and evil on a par with 'The Stand'. The group of kids have all the tradirional tropes of a Stephen King rag tag team, and the flawless characterisation totally absorbs the listener into their world. This isn't an action or adventure thriller and there are some truly scary horror story moments (plenty, especially during the parts about the hissing lady, who is not to be taken at face value!). It's insidious and cloying, almost impossible to stop listening in one long sitting. Don't listen at night! For those in search of a good horror (but not a cheesy or poorly written one- see James Herbert for that...), 10/10, take a chance like I did and you won't be disappointed!

Could have been 5 stars

This book could easily have been 5 stars if had ended sooner and not repeated itself. I genuinely was spooked from the beginning and there was much hope of what was to come. Unfortunately towards the latter half it was just Groundhog Day.

Very disappointing

struggled to finish, started out good but just got board, not at all scary for a horror fan.

loved it

As a huge Stephen King fan I am always looking for those extra lengthy horror novels that take it nice and slow. This one ticks every box. The main characters are well written and you get them to know so well that you feel they are friends or family. The setting in a small town reveals all the everyday horror in peoples minds and thats exactly where the fight between good and evil takes place. This book is not for people who enjoy a fast paced story though but everyone who enjoyed Stephen Kings "The Stand" will love it.

What a book!

This book is one of the best audiobook I have listened to. I can’t wait for the authors next book!

Perfect creepy book to listen to

I am not going to lie, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I actually enjoyed this book. It wasn't until I was home alone, listening to this book at night, where I realised how much this book was actually starting to really creep me out. I have been in a real horror mood lately, so I kept listening, craving the creepy story and atmosphere that this book kept giving me, in bucket loads. The simple idea of if you can imagine it, then that makes it real, is a scary thought when you're alone in the dark. I know this is said a lot and is usually what all horror books are compared, but this book really did resemble that of Stephen King. I say that with me being a big fan of Stephen Kings' work. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much, which is probably why I ended up enjoying it. Not only did I go into this book a little wary because of reviews I had heard, but also because of Stephen Chbosky himself. I have only read The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Chbosky, which I loved, but I was cautious as I didn't know how he'd be able to go from writing from one genre to the other. I was happy to be proven wrong.

Narrated well but that’s all.

Painfully repetitive and incoherent story. Narrator was the only positive but didn’t stop it being a test of Will to finish. Avoid.

Too long and convoluted

The narration was superb let's get that out of the way. The story started off very strong and was genuinely creepy and foreboding until about the half way point. The second half to third of the book just felt like a constant build to a climax which never came. It built you up and then slapped another tedious plot twist in your face. I got so tired by the 125th chapter I just wanted it to end. Also this book is based on Christian beliefs and religion. I do wish religious books would be advertised as such. I appreciate when mythology is used in clever ways but here it just felt childish and ruined the original unsettling tone of the story. What started off as dark and disturbing became wearisome and honestly a bit silly.

BRILLIANT!!

Absolutely loved this book. Totally recommend! You won't be disappointed. The narrative was fantastic too.

Amazing!

Wasn’t sure about this but went with it due to the previous reviews! I wasn’t disappointed. I was hooked right from the start and it has just the right amount of creepy bordering on scary to keep you going! I can definitely see this as a tv series! Definitely worth the credit, will be trying others by this author now.