When Addie Downs opens her front door and discovers her long-lost childhood best friend standing there, with terror on her face and blood on her coat, she finds herself on an extraordinary adventure on which she'll learn the truth about her past and forever change her future...
I am a long-time fan of Jennifer Weiner, ever since I first read Good In Bed. I have been looking forward to reading Best Friends Forever ever since its debut last summer. And as soon as I cracked the book open and began to read, I remembered why.
Jennifer Weiner is an extremely talented writer. She's witty and sensitive and eloquent. One moment, you find yourself on the verge of tears, the next you're laughing out loud. I sped through this book in three days -- the fastest I've read a book since I can't remember when.
Best Friends Forever is a thoroughly enjoyable story about friends and the things that tear them apart. Despite it's wacky premise (Addie's best friend, Val, accidentally hits high school crush Dan with her car, then they go 'on the lam' to avoid jail), this is a story everyone can relate to. It's got a very Thelma and Louise feel to it.
The only thing that threw me off at first was the varying points of view. The book goes from Addie's first person account of the present and the past, to police chief Jordan's third person journey as he tries to solve the mystery of the bloody belt, to Dan's third person (written in italics, which made my head ache) view of what happened after the incident. I wasn't expecting this, but once I got into the story, I was hypnotized. It reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books, Summer Sisters
I have to admit I was a little wary of picking up this book after Certain Girls. The ending was disappointing and heartbreaking and made me sad for weeks. The writing was sparkling and effortless, though. Which is, really, what drew me back to Weiner in the first place. The woman has a knack for writing great characters and stories that suck you in.
Bottom line: If you're a fan of well-written, funny fiction, Best Friends Forever fits the bill.