Review: "Best Friends Forever"

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

2 out of 5 stars

Nope, this isn't a BSC book...sounds like one, kind of wish it was. :/ I originally gave this book 3 stars, but after thinking about it some more and reading some of the other reviews on GR, I had to knock it down a star. I've read lots of Jennifer Weiner's books and I think there's a reason I always end up selling them back. I labeled this a "Pink Book", meaning it's a fluffy, chicklit read that usually has a pretty, pink cover...this book is trying to be in that category, but it falls short.

This is about a pair of childhood BFF's, Addie and Valerie, who go their separate ways in high school and come back together in adulthood due to an almost accident. Addie is the outsider fat girl with the weird family: way obese mom who eerily reminds me of the mom in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", the dad who's gone wackadoodle from the war and now makes puppets, and the used-to-be popular brother who got in a bad accident and suffered brain damage. Valerie is the new girl turned super popular cheerleader with the deadbeat dad who doesn't want her and the neglectful, wild mom with the string of boyfriends.

The 2 girls become friends when Valerie moves in across the street as kids, but by the time high school rolls around, they are barely speaking. Something major happens to Valerie and they stop speaking completely, until she shows up on Addie's doorstep as an adult saying she's done something horrible. The story goes on with their journey of how to fix this "something horrible" and their friendship at the same time.

It all ends happily of course, but it doesn't feel like it. One of the major themes is Addie's weight and how she can't/won't be in a relationship or have a real life until she's skinny and once she is, she'll of course be happy! Only she's not. I'm okay with those kind of books usually, being a fluffy girl myself, but this one was depressing. Like really. If you have some of Weiner's books on your shelf already, I'd say go ahead and check it out from the library...if not, don't bother!