Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher. An excellent thriller and right for the age that we all live in at present

A solid read, a good story told well, with a twist at the end I didn't see coming

. As a big fan of psychological thrillers this book appealed to me right away. The fact that this book featured social media was a bonus. I feel that it makes the book more relevant. This book is about Louise a divorced mum of one. Louise gets a Facebook request from Maria Weston a girl from school who is dead. Louise feels responsible for the death of Maria and carries around a lot of guilt. The death of Maria has coloured her adult life. The situation with Maria escalates. Could Maria still be alive or is somebody else aware of what Louise did? There are lots of twists and turns in this story but for me it wasn't quite different enough. Although I didn't guess the ending I was not very surprised by it.

What a debut! Couldn't put it down. Unpredictable, creepy and bang-on trend.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Louise a recently divorced mother of a 4-year-old boy. When Louise receives a friend request from Maria a school friend who has been missing presumed dead for over 20years. The story follows Lousie on the journey to discovery. She has to find out who sent the messages and if Maria was still somehow alive? The premise of the book was fab, I did however find the middle section a little slow paced but that said it held enough interest to get me to the end. The ending was a little disappointing for me, I had hoped for something a little more unexpected. The style the book was written in was great I love books that flick between 2 timelines so that really appealed and I will try another book from this author to see what she does next.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an arc.
Louise receives a facebook friend request from Maria, an old school friend who apparently died 25 years ago. Of course she accepts, wondering what on earth is going on! Cue lots of creepy happenings and secrets and lies from her school days being unearthed.
This was a brilliant read, I loved it. With themes of school bullying, peer pressure and a reminder of how horrible teenagers can be! When the past catches up with everyone involved, their lives will never be the same again. Great psychological thriller, well worth a read, I would highly recommend.

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.