Friend Request

Laura Marshall

Sept 2017 · Sold by Grand Central Publishing

About this eBook

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.

Ratings and reviews

Louise is a middle-aged, single mother of one young son. Being able to work from home, she likes to take breaks to keep up with her Facebook account... not that she has many friends. Today she has a new friend request ... from Maria Weston. Maria and Louise were friends once in high school, but they didn't remain friends for long. Louise can't understand why Maria would reach out to her now... especially as Maria has been dead for 25 years. This is a brilliant psychological thriller. The book bounces back and forth between today and those days in high school. I think most of us remember our high school days .. and not always favorably. There were always the cliques, the bad boys, the bullies. It brings to mind memories of wanting to belong..somewhere... and Louise knows exactly what that was like. Young people don't always make the wisest or safest decisions. Back to Maria ... is it possible she is still alive? If so, where has she been all this time? Is it someone who knows what happened all those years ago and wants Louise to be afraid? Louise knows that if the truth ever sees the light of day, her life, as she knows its, will be over. Somewhere along the line, the reader hears an unknown voice .... who is this? Maria? Someone closer to her? The author has captured the angst of being a teenager ... the self doubts .... Louise, as an adult, is that person who has lived with guilt and regrets her entire life. Will it ever end? Again, this is a brilliant psychological thriller. Characters have a real feel to them ... I probably knew a few of them myself while in school. The story line is credible .... teens today aren't that much different than 20 or so years ago. I highly recommend this one! It does not read as a debut novel ...and I can hardly wait to see what the author comes up with next. Now ... off to post my review in Facebook. Many thanks to the author / Grand Central Publishing / Netgalley for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I LOVE THIS BOOK😍😍

About the author

Laura Marshall's debut novel, Friend Request, was a #1 e-book international bestseller and was shortlisted for both the Bath Novel award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2016. Three Little Lies is her second novel. Laura lives in Kent with her husband and two children.