Friend Request

By: Laura Marshall

Narrated by: 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.

Critic reviews

"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.