Friend Request

De: Laura Marshall

Narrado por: Elaine Claxton

A paranoid single mom is forced to confront the unthinkable act she committed as a desperate teenager in this addictive thriller with a social media twist.

Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she?

1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.

Louise has always known that if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. Her job. Her son. Her freedom. Maria's sudden reappearance threatens it all, and forces Louise to reconnect with everyone she'd severed ties with to escape the past. But as she tries to piece together exactly what happened that night, Louise discovers there's more to the story than she ever knew. To keep her secret, Louise must first uncover the whole truth, before what's known to Maria--or whoever's pretending to be her--is known to all.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Just try to keep the chills away."—p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Helvetica; color: #1e497d}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Cosmopolitan

"FRIEND REQUEST by Laura Marshall is a cleverly plotted, enticing mix of suspense, regret and redemption. Marshall skillfully skips back in forth in time, building unrelenting tension in this utterly riveting psychological thriller. After reading FRIEND REQUEST, I will never look at social media the same way again."—Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence and Not a Sound

"Suspenseful...Marshall leaps skillfully back and forth between past and present."—Publishers Weekly

"A brilliant novel."—Jenny Colgan, author of the New York Times bestsellers Little Beach Street Bakery and The Bookshop on the Corner

"An incredible debut novel that's not to be missed! Fantastic writing that instantly drew me in. I simply couldn't put it down - such a fast-paced, exciting thriller with some unexpected twists and turns. I loved it!"—Hollie Overton, author of the international bestseller Baby Doll

"Imagine getting a Facebook message from a school friend whose death you blame yourself for . . . That's the eerie premise for Laura Marshall's unnerving novel, FRIEND REQUEST, about mean girls and dark secrets."—Good Housekeeping

"A read-it-in-one-sitting thriller . . . Twisty and gripping but always relatable, FRIEND REQUESTis the ultimate it-could-happen-to-you read."—Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said

"A strong thriller debut featuring a compelling protagonist whose self-discovery and mounting paranoia create gripping suspense."—Booklist

"Laura Marshall ramps up the tension page by page until it's impossible to know who to trust. It's a book that should make everybody realize how vulnerable social media can make them. I loved it!"—Rachel Abbott, author of the international bestsellers Only the Innocent and Sleep Tight

"Sharp, relevant and tightly plotted, and with a fabulous twist, psychological thriller fans should definitely say yes to this impressive debut."—Sunday Mirror

"Fast-paced plotting and a gripping conclusion make this one of the better offerings in this genre."—RT Book Reviews

Neither Exceptional nor Disappointing; Held My Interest

Maybe my expectations or standards have changed as I’ve gotten a bit older, but it’s very difficult for me to rate a book as much better than good or average. With that being said, I was neither disappointed nor overly impressed. I enjoyed the book, and the reader was particularly good - both her style of narration and cadence were quite good to the point I’d seek others she’s done. The characters were realistic, albeit a bit stereotypically “mean girl,” “woe-is-me,” “ugly ducking,” etc. If you don’t follow the nuances of social media, you may miss some of the references - but you can still follow the storyline. Would I recommend it? Probably - but more as a casual read than a gripping page turner.

Predictable

I found that I couldn’t get lost in this story as I have been able to so many times before. I thinks because a great deal was predictable to me. Overall it was a nice book.

Slow to develop, but eventually riveting

About a quarter of the way through the book, I considered returning it. It was fine, it just hadn’t sucked me in to want to hear more. I pushed on, thinking I would listen to a couple more chapters, and then I was hooked. I had to keep listening to find out what had happened all those years ago! In the end, I was satisfied enough to have enjoyed it overall. I can’t say it is one of my favorites, but I liked it well enough. The pace just wasn’t as quick or as gripping as I am typically drawn to.

Editing is not the best

Twice I heard editing errors (a section repeated and clearing of throat from the reader) besides that it’s a pretty entertaining story.

Editing Could Be Better

I really enjoyed the story, it was interesting the entire time. But during the performance I noticed a line that was said twice, and again following a throat clearing. It must have been missed during editing. Would recommend though, definitely entertaining.

My Review

Enjoyed the story, however, I think the narration was what made it exceptional. I highly recommend.

Ummm.. I Am Definitely Missing Something

First off- I want to get two major points out of the way.

Great debut novel and great effort on psychological thriller with twists.

Terrible editing- I listened to repeat passengers more than once, and at once point Elaine Claxton actually cleared her throat and starting reading the same passage again. Her voice was fine- but my goodness- the editing is horrible.

Our main character gets a facebook friend request from an old high school friend. The problem is, the request comes from a dead girl, and Louise (our main gal) has a secret about the dead girl that threatens to ruin her life and the lives of others if it comes out.

This book has way too much repetition and flowery filler. It could have been knocked back about 4 hours and easily been just as curious. The plot twists were decent- but the reader is left hanging or the author forgot to tell us about a character. Throughout the book there was a secret female character who was being held captive but we never find out who she is or why she is being held captive? I don't think I missed it.. Terribly odd. The rest of the book was summed up rather nicely but it wasn't very believable and her characters were extremely inconsistent with their personalities and behaviour.

I will give this a solid 3 stars because it is a great attempt at a first novel. I highly suggest this audio-book gets another listen from a professional editor, though. And I do hope that Laura Marshall will focus on better character development and conclusions in her next novel, which I will probably take the time to read as this one piqued my curiousity.

-Wendi

Surprisingly good.

I was surprised by the ending. Which feels rare anymore. The story slowly unfolds into its fullness towards the end.

"Meh" is correct

Ok story. Not the best but not the worst either. It'll keep you busy for a few hours.

I enjoyed this tense and suspenseful thriller

Author Laura Marshall and narrator Elaine Claxton are a perfect duo and I look forward to more novels from them. Following a 20-year-old murder mystery, a group of suspicious classmates come together 20-plus years later. I have to admit I did get a kick out of the comical Facebook and social media references, something I agree with. The story did slow down midway through, but held my interest. All in all, an unpredictable drama. Recommended.