Friend Request

By: Laura Marshall

Narrated by: Elaine Claxton

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2017 Laura Marshall (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"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 best seller Baby Doll)

Yikes!

I really liked this book! Kept my attention all the way through, and the end was a good twist. I did laugh when the narrator cleared her throat loudly at one point... oops editing! But the book was great and the narrator did really well.

Very average

The first part of this book was very slow, and there was a lot of unnecessary repetition throughout the story. It picks up after a while though, which makes it somewhat more interesting. I also really liked the few unexpected twists. However, I’m not particularity pleased with the ending.

I didn’t really enjoy the narration, but I cannot pinpoint why. I wish I’d rather have read the book, which I don’t think I’ve ever felt before.

So to summarise I’d say this audiobook is very average in most ways.

Well Written Creepiness

Engaging story with a couple of interesting plot twists.

Narration was good, and kept my interest- but editors/producers left a couple of sloppy edits, including a somewhat jarring cough and repeated text.

Well worth the listen.

Entertaining

I enjoyed listening to this book while driving a long commute. The narrator had a light and easy to understand British accent. The book is suspenseful and entertaining.

great story

I really enjoyed this book. the ending wasn't obvious at all & was quite a surprise! suspenseful & interesting. the narrator did, at one point, begin a sentence, stop to clear her throat, and then started it again, which was distracting & I was very surprised that that was not cut during the editing... made me wonder if there IS any post-recording editing bc it would have been easy to delete. but other than that, the narration was well done.

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.

A great read!

I enjoyed this book. I wanted more for the ending but still unexpected. I would definitely recommend.