My Worst Best Friend by Dyan Sheldon

Released: August 2010

My Worst Best Friend is actually the worst novel I've read from front to back in a long, long time. I will recommend this book to any young woman who wants to learn how to act like a spoiled, self-centered diva who lacks having had parental guidance in regards to morals and honesty. I really hope the person I just described doesn't exist. Well, I'm sure this person does exist, but they won't have the brains to read this review in the first place.

Anyway, and moving on...

My Worst Best Friend is about two best friends who demonstrate the grand epitome of opposites attract. Gracie is plain, boyish and smart with common sense and a good head on her shoulders, whereas Savanna is a beautiful, charming, manipulative brat who has already mastered the art of flirting at the age of sixteen and gets her way one-hundred percent of the time.


When Savanna meets and begins dating a college boy, Gracie proves her loyalty as a best friend by lying constantly for Savanna and ditching the more important people in her life for her worthless, idiot friend. As we near the novel's end, we get a glimpse of how lying and supporting a terrible cause can really make you feel low. Hurray for Gracie as she grows balls and stands up for what's right when she puts Savanna in her place and chases down the person who connects with her the best, an odd yet intelligent loyal boy named Cooper.

The novel is mainly maddening because we are forced to withstand Savanna's awful, stupid, unintelligble teenage lingo. Please don't tell me this is really what teenagers talk like now:

Savanna: "But I had this, like, reallyreally stressful day. And I mean reallyreally filled with stress. The stress was packed in there like salmons in a can."

REALLY? Innocently mistaking salmon for sardines isn't even cute or funny. Not coming from this girl.

Chapter One had me praying Savanna would walk in front of a school bus, but knowing it isn't going to happen makes this book truly dreadful. What ever happened to those teenagers of yesteryear that were sophisticated, witty, classy, and admirable? My favorite characters were always those written by L.J. Smith in the Secret Circle and Vampire Diaries series. Not to mention those mature, grown-up characters also featured in Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine YA novels. I wanted to be those girls SO BAD! And not because they were popular or beautiful, but because they were so cool, calm and collected no matter what the circumstance.

          

When Savanna's character isn't present or being mentioned, My Worst Best Friend is awesome and even enjoyable. Sadly, these moments are few and far between. I love the exchanges between Gracie and Cooper regarding their ongoing classic movie quote game. Now THIS is more like it in the way of intelligence and sophistication between two teenage characters.

I wouldn't recommend My Worst Best Friend to any teenager or young adult. The lesson and message just isn't strong or powerful enough. The novel is more annoying than anything.

I know Dyan Sheldon is extremely successful, and has really excelled as a children's and young adult author of numerous titles; including Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, which was also made into a movie. Although she is very popular and her work is largely appraised, I don't think as a reader you should waste your time on My Worst Best Friend.

Other recent titles by Dyan Sheldon include Drusilla and Her Brothers (2009), The Difficult Job of Keeping Time (2008), and Confessions of a Teenage Hollywood Star (2007).