Best Friends Forever: A Novel

by: Jennifer Weiner

Published by: Simon and Schuster

Addie Downs and Valerie Adler have been best friends since Valerie moved across the street when they were nine. With her blonde hair and California cool, Valerie intrigued Addie and they soon did everything together. Valerie's mom was hardly the homebody and so many of Val's evenings were spent eating dinner with Addie and her seemingly perfect family.

Unfortunately, things were far from perfect. Addie's father suffered strange after effects from his time in Vietnam and Addie's mother was far from the lithe, slim figure of Val's mom. And, after they entered high school, Addie's popular jock older brother, Jon, was in a terrible car accident that left him with brain damage that put him a grade behind.

As she grew older, and gained more and more weight, Addie was relentlessly bullied by her class mates and Val was her only friend, until one night at a senior party when things became out of control and Addie took it into her own hands to try and help Val. Rather than stand up for herself and against popular Dan Swansea, Val denied Addie's accusations and shunned her oldest friend.

Graduation followed, seeing Val off to California and Addie to New York, not to speak again until one fateful night fifteen years later, on the eve of their high school reunion. Addie, having hated high school as much as she did, ignored the event, until her former best friend comes knocking at her door with blood on her coat, asking for her help. They soon discover that old wounds heal and best friends really are forever.

Jennifer Weiner's novels never fail to surprise and intrigue, with wit and flavor that make the stories hard to put down. Told in first person, through Addie's eyes, with flashbacks and third person peeks into the goings on of other characters that keep the story flowing beautifully, Best Friends Forever is a great all season read.