Friend Request by Laura Marshall has an intriguing premise: Louise Williams receives a friend request on Facebook from a girl she hasn't seen for twenty five years. But the girl is supposed to be dead, isn't she?

Wow, this was a really good read. I loved the idea behind it and I couldn't wait to start reading. You won't be disappointed by this one. I'm sure this is going to be one of THE thrillers of 2017.

Friend Request is told over two timelines. In 1989 and in the present day. In 1989 Louise is hovering on the outskirts of the popular crowd at school, she feels particularly attached to one girl, Sophie, who she is willing to do anything for to impress. In the present, Louise is a single mum to four year old, Henry. She is still trying to rebuild her life after she split from her husband, Sam. But she has never been able to forgive herself for something that she did when she was at school. And now the past is coming back to haunt her.

I really liked Laura's writing in this book. It is her debut novel and I'm sure that it'll go on to be a big hit. Her writing definitely has that addictive quality that will keep you reading well into the night. The book opens with lots of questions for the reader as a good book should: what did Louise do? What happened to Maria? Is she still alive or is this someone's idea of a sick joke? I couldn't wait to find out who was behind the messages and the twist at the end really did shock me.

Friend Request is perfect for fans of Camilla Way's Watching Edie and Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas. A really good novel, you won't be disappointed with this one. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy to read.

A good fun thriller all round! Concentrating on Social Media and how easy it is to access information nowadays, Laura Marshall has constructed a thought provoking thriller, however retaining a fun thriller feel!

I was so excited to read this book. The synopsis sounded so interesting and relevant. The first few chapters were a little slow and I thought I was going to be disappointed. But then it got going and what a rollercoaster! I had to stay up till the early hours just to find out what happened. I loved that there wasn’t only one explanation for what was going on and I was completely riveted towards the end. Thank you for letting me read it early.

I loved the premise of this book when I first heard about it and was delighted to get an arc via Netgalley. The book lived up to my expectations and then some. It was expertely plotted and deftly flirted between flashbacks to the 1980's and present day. The whole idea of a dead acquaintance stalking you on facebook is so creepy and Laura Marshall expertly takes the reader down a dark and twisted path and made me think more than once "what would I do?'. The ending was not what I was expecting - another sign of great writing - and I can't wait to read Laura's next book!

This was the most incredible book. From the opening chapter I was unable to put this book down.
I never saw the twist coming which is the sign of a great book well written.
Looking forward to the next book written by this author.

Great psychological thriller highlighting the dangers of social media. Full of mystery and suspense, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This is a truly gripping psychological thriller that had me reading well into the early hours.
The book is centred around Louise who is carrying a guilty secret from her teenage past and covers how it has impacted her life as an adult. Her current life implodes when she receives a friend request from a girl she knew in the past...
The story explores issues of teenage bullying, peer pressure, abusive relationships and perhaps most concerning; just how far we will go for acceptance from others. You really feel Louise's fear and it becomes your own. The story cleverly unfolds in both present and past and at times you are not quite sure whose voice you are hearing which adds to the suspense of the plot. A really enjoyable read!
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

A gripping psychological thriller which kept me guessing throughout the book. There are many twists and turns in this thriller which makes the reader consider what the truth really is. In addition there are many underlying themes including: friendship, bullying, drugs, single parents, privacy, identity etc.
I found the first part of the book and the end particularly good and well written, however I felt the middle of the book lost pace and often became repetitive. I think the book is a good opener for discussions about internet safety and how important it is to think carefully about what you post. The book highlights how simple details can give others details of your location in order for you to be tracked, which is a scary thought.
I'd recommend this book if you're a fan of Gone Girl, A Girl of a Train etc.

Absolutely loved this book, a real page turner and I didn't want to come to the end.

Thank you to the publishers Little Brown and net galley for the arc in return for an honest review.

The book had a really interesting premise; how well do we really know the people that we converse with on Facebook, and are we really talking to who we think we are? Unfortunately this wasn't explored as fully as I would have liked for me to really feel the same fear and paranoia that Louise experiences when she starts to receive messages from an old school friend who is missing, presumed dead.

The story flits between the present day, and 1989, when Louise encounters Maria at school. We gradually learn what happened the fateful night of the leavers party and the events that lead up to the tragedy. Subjects of peer pressure, the desperate need to belong, drug taking and bullying are touched on.

The book is a quick read, and did keep me in suspense; there were plenty of suspects and suspicious behaviour to keep me guessing. However, the final twist seemed to come from no where. I think it would have been more successful had certain characters been more fleshed out, and there was a bit more of a hint of the dark side of a certain character (name not revealed to avoid spoilers)

I enjoyed the book as it gripped my interest from the start. I thought the storyline was good with enough mystery to keep me guessing. I would be interested in reading further books by this author.

This fast-paced psychological thriller is guaranteed to hook you from the first page. It starts with a common enough message these days – a friend request on Facebook. However, the friend request that single mum, Louise, receives is from Maria, somebody from way back in Louise’s school days, but more shockingly, it’s from somebody who is supposedly dead.

Is it really Maria? Could she still be alive? Or is it somebody posing as Maria? And, if so, who?

The story alternates between the past and present as the story gradually unfolds and we begin to understand Louise’s difficulties fitting in at school and how hers and Maria’s lives were connected.

Tense, exciting, with twists and turns as well as a few red herrings, Friend Request is a gripping thriller which kept me turning the pages. The only downside for me was that I found the ending a little less than plausible.

I enjoyed this suspenseful and emotional page-turner. Written from a point of view of Louise, a middle-aged single mum, the narrative fluctuates between past and present and involves many contemporary issues such as social media, teenage bullying, drugs etc. It is an impressive debut and I will happily read the author's next book.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

A very modern story, set in 1989 and 2016. The class of '89 are having a school reunion. As in any school there is the 'in crowd', there are the loud girls, the shy girls, the new girls and the naughty girls. How do they all do after the event that changed their lives. Then, twenty seven years later, there is and invitational Facebook to the Sharne Bay High School Reunion. During their last term at school something happened and Maria Weston disappeared presumed dead. Then members of her class get friend requests from Maria! Is she dead, if so who is sending the requests. A very interesting well crafted story that will keep you reading to the end.

The first chapter has you hooked as Louise receives a friend request on Facebook from Maria Weston who disappeared 25 years ago believed to be dead. Louise and her friend bullied Maria at school back in 1989 and the story flashes between 1989 and 2016 as Louise finds her past has come back to haunt her. The story centres around bullying and the effects it has on both the bully and the victim with lots of twists and turns which I definitely didn't see coming.

Louise receives a Facebook Friend request. It’s from Maria, a girl she was at school with. The surprise, though, the thing that makes her shrink back in horror, is that Maria died twenty–five years ago at their leavers’ party. Louise is horrified because she believes her and her friends’ bullying cause the death. Only her husband knows her part in it as he was at the same school. The plot becomes more entangled when there is a school reunion for their class.

This is an interesting study in what young people are prepared to do to fit in with their peers. When your contemporaries’ opinions define you, you can persuade yourself to go against your own better nature and good sense. Louise is still, in adult life, bending her own nature and desires in order to fit in with those of others. If Maria is dead, someone else sent that friend request. Someone who blames Louise. Right at the very end, the story went a little out of my credibility zone but nonetheless, I enjoyed it a great deal.

Fried Request by Laura Marshall

A friend request from the dead? Surely it can’t be.. Can it?

This is a tale of the past catching up with you with a bang!

Set in the present but delving back into the past is the story of Laura and her friends teenage years coming back to haunt her, via the medium on social media site Facebook. Faced with a friend request from the dead, is the dreaded upcoming school reunion the place for answers?

Can she escape the past? … Not in this day and age where no-one is anonymous anymore…You can try but you can’t hide forever.

The story starts with a bang and the details build to an almighty climax, I was desperate to find out what would become of Laura and what it was that was haunting her from her past. How was se going to resolve this situation?

This is a gripping read that kept my attention though out I would certainly recommend this to my finds and in my reading groups.

great read and easy to follow story line. look forward to reading more from this author.

The book really pulled me in. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline as it's very believable. I got all the way to the last chapter where the tension was almost too much but then I was a bit deflated as the ending seemed too simple. There were some questions that weren't answered (for me).

I did still enjoy the book and i would still recommend it.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.