Review: "Best Friends Forever" by Jennifer Weiner

I just finished Best Friends Forever, one of Jennifer Weiner's newest novels. I thought it was pretty interesting, and very different.

Summary: Addie Downs is a single woman in her early 30's, living in her deceased parents old home. She mostly keeps to herself, venturing out only to visit her mentally ill brother and go on blind dates from the internet. On the night of her high school reunion, her former best friend, Valerie Adler, shows up at her house after years of no contact with blood on her coat and a plea for help. It turns out that while at the reunion, Val struck Dan Swansea with her car and believes she may have accidentally killed him. We find out that Val and Addie had been best friends since childhood, but a serious incident in high school, involving Dan, occurred which led Val and Addie to stop speaking to each other, leaving Addie, an overweight and awkward girl, to be friendless and lonely. Addie is wary about reconnecting with Val, but agrees to help, despite the years of silence. A lot of the story takes place when the two women go on the run, (Val's idea), for fear of being caught by the police.

There are a lot of "side stories" going on as well, such as the journey of the police chief, Jordan, on his quest to solve the crime. They also delve into his personal story as well, which is equally as sad as Addie's. The story also contains a lot of flashbacks of the girl's childhood, leading up to the event that altered their friendship and lives.

My Thoughts: I'm a fan of Jennifer Weiner. If you haven't read her novel, In Her Shoes (which was made into a movie), I'd recommend that one as well. I haven't read any of her novels in a while, but I enjoyed this one. I thought it was a unique and different story concept, with an exciting plot line. The characters were realistic, and Addie especially, had my sympathy from the get-go. Some parts of it dragged a bit, but all in all, it was a fast paced and intriguing novel. I especially liked the ending, and thought the book really picked up pace in the last section. I liked the aspect of friendship that this novel focused on as well. It spoke a lot of past, regret, and family relations. Overall, an interesting read, though not light. I would not classify this as chick lit, which I typically think of Jennifer Weiner as, but it did have a touch of romance.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

Currently Reading: Look Me in the Eye, by John Elder Robison, a memoir about a man living with Asperger's. As a college student studying Elementary Special ed., this book held a special appeal for me and I've been looking forward to reading it. Thanks to Sarah, a friend from work, for loaning me her copy!