Review: Hating Heidi Foster by Jeffrey Blount

Title: Hating Heidi Foster Title: Jeffrey Blount Publication Date: October 25, 2012
Synopsis: 
Mae McBride and Heidi Foster were the very best of friends. Tied at the hip from early elementary school, their relationship was the stuff of storybooks, legendary even, in the minds of their high school classmates.

Unshakable. 

That is, until Mae's father died while saving Heidi's life. When Mae finds out, she blames Heidi. She blames her father for putting Heidi ahead of her. She blames her friends for taking Heidi’s side. She begins to unravel amid that blame and her uncontrollable and atypical anger.

At the same time Heidi is beset by guilt, falls into depression and stops eating properly; wasting away physically and emotionally while waiting for Mae to let her back into the friendship she misses so dearly. 

Mae, consumed by her hatred of Heidi, the confusion regarding her father’s motives, the perceived desertion of her friends and her mother’s grief, loses more and more of herself.

What could possibly bring these two old friends back to each other? A miracle?

~My Thoughts~
I'm not going to do a short synopsis here because I don't think I'll be able to add anything to the one provided above without giving out the rest of the story. So this is going to be a straight to the point, short review. 
Hating Heidi Foster is a very emotional read. After losing her father, Mae is of course devastated. The emotional roller coaster that she embarks on is very raw and intense. Thankfully I have never lost a parent, so I couldn't imagine the pain that she must have been going through. I also found it very believable that she would take her anger out on Heidi. Her father died trying to save Heidi, and Heidi lived. I felt awful for Mae, but for Heidi as well. I couldn't imagine that Heidi was having an easier time than Mae. She must have felt responsible and then losing your best friend because of it? Awful.
I quite enjoyed this book, although is was incredibly short (104 pages). I felt connected to Mae and her mother, and was hopeful that they would find a way to grieve together and move on. I liked the use of Instant Message chats between Mae and her grandmother. It was crucial that Mae have someone other than her mother that she could talk to, and I envied this strong relationship. 
Overall, Hating Heidi Foster was a remarkable read. I do wish it would have been a little longer, but it wasn't lacking even in it's short state. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys a quick yet deep, emotional read.

For more about Jeffrey Blount and Hating Heidi Foster, visit his website here.



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*I received this book for free in exchange of my honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way and all views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.