Things aren’t always what they seem. . .Books have always been Janney Fenton’s best friend until she met Alice. Now the two are inseparable. Her mother doesn’t approve—though she’s never approved of anything when it comes to her daughter. It’s only later in life, with therapy to reconcile the tragedies of her past, that Janney can begin to understand the person she is. Twisted with emotions, all …
Twisted with emotions, all will be revealed with each passing session.
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For many people in the horror world, the name RJ Roles is synonymous with the Facebook group Books of Horror. This is about to change.
Girl’s Best Friend is RJ’s first release, although by the time this comes out he’ll have also featured in the second volume of Kevin J. Kennedy’s 100 Word Horror’s Anthology.
Girl’s Best Friend is a compelling slow burn horror story. The novella opens up with a scene where we are introduced to our main character Janney, a young girl who loves books and enjoys spending time with her best friend Alice.
As the story progresses, Roles moves us forward through time. We are now with Janney as she meets with her Psychologist. From this point on we jump back and forth between an event in Janney’s youth and to her present life. Roles does a good job of making the clinical portions engaging – many times this plot device can become tedious and boring, but I never once tuned out. I found I was trying to see just what both of these character’s game was. Something was up? But what?
Roles throughout did a fantastic job of keeping his cards close to the table, ensuring that only the smallest of “oddness” creeps out and moves the chess pieces forward.
I will say the story isn’t without some issues. In the tight page count, some ideas weren’t expanded upon as thoroughly as I’d have loved, but hey, it’s a novella. That happens. And RJ is a new author. As he grows and develops and gains confidence in his writing we’ll see the change happen. I know I’ve seen it with my own works.
Overall Girl’s Best Friend is a rousing start to a promising literary future. Roles pushes a lot of buttons and did a fabulous job of getting us to buy in and believe in the character of Janney, which can be a tough go with a tale laid out like this. Highly recommend you go grab this and support a great guy in the horror world!
This was an easy one sit read that was a bit twisted and creepy. I really did not want it to end as there are so many questions I still have. I cannot wait to read more from RJ Roles.
Unsettling, harrowing, and original. Roles takes you on quite the psychological roller coaster in this gripping thriller. And the ending had my jaw on the floor. Highly recommended!!
Janney and her father share the same passion of reading that just drives her mother insane. When things continue to go sour between her mother and her, you will never expect what happens to happen. A chilling story that just seems to end far too soon! RJ Roles has a vision all of his own that will carry you to a different place that will leave you continuously saying “well damn”.
This book was given to me as part of a swap box with my Books of Horror Facebook Group. I was surprised that it was personalized by the author and was definitely one of the best treats in the box! I had been wanting to read stories from the authors in our group and was pleasantly surprised by this one!
I read Girl’s Best Friend in one sitting. Janney Fenton is a young teen who loves to read. She is a little bit of an outcast at school, but she always turns to books to keep herself entertained. She gets this love of reading from her Father. They share a very strong bond that causes some animosity with Janney’s Mom. The story flips back and forth from her youth to present time when she is having therapy sessions to help figure out why her life turned in the direction it did. RJ Roles does a fantastic job developing Janney so we can understand what her life was like growing up. He also does a great job escalating the story. I could not put it down and had to finish it. I was blown away to say the least! RJ takes us into some serious darkness that just gets better and better as the story unfolds.
Authors like RJ Roles are why I started my horror blog. I cannot wait to read something else from this talented author! If you have not yet read this, get a copy! It’s worth it!