This book had me hooked from the start. Started out as a seemingly quite simple story but the plot grew quickly and drew me in and had me guessing right to the very end and sitting on the edge of my seat in places.
The characters were believable and made me reflect on my own teenage years and groups within school.
An up to date story that you won't regret reading.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this in return for an honest review. The central concept is something that happens alost every day, a simple 'Friend Request' on facebook..but what if that 'friend' has been dead or missing for at least 20 years?
This is the dilemma that the protagonist has, and the author neatly taps into the postmodern 'fear of missing out' to rationalise accepting it and the consequences of what happens after.
The mystery of what happened so many years ago ties in with social systems of popularity, herd mentality, belonging and sense of self worth.
Where I think the story falls down in apart from some of it being implausible, the protagonist was not particularly likeable and the ending felt tagged on, almost as if the story had run out of steam.
However, it was a good read and I would read more by this author.

Were it not for Blair's review, I would have scanned right past this book, dismissing it as a chick-lit-horror tale not worthy of my time. Thank you though, Blair, for bringing it to my attention! It's exactly the kind of thing I like to read during my breaks at work: a book I'm not going to remember in months to come, but one that has me turning the pages at breakneck speed as I enjoy powering through. One of the better chick-lit-horror tales I've read of late - don't let the awful cover & title put you off!

This was a gripping read that I just couldn't put down. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this book and would highly recommend it

I thought this was an amazing debut novel which had me guessing at every turn. The story follows Lou and her so called friends at school. A new pupil starts called Maria and she seems to want to be friends with Lou but Sophie does everything in her power to keep them apart. At the leavers dance something tragic happens which will come back to bite years later. Lou has never forgiven herself for what happened that night..so when she gets a friend request on Facebook from someone who has been missing for years, presumed dead she gets the fright of her life. She questions everything she holds dear. An absolutely cracker of a read and I'll do a fuller review on the blog nearer publication date. Loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Laura Marshall and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this book.
I struggled with this book initially and had to leave it for a few days, I think primarily due to the swinging back and forth between the years, but I understand the reasoning behind it. I felt that the author dragged out the details a little bit longer than necessary too.
I must confess, I didn't see the end coming, I was trying to think who it could've been all the way through, but I was pleasantly surprised not to guess.
I thought the settings were realistic and mostly accurate with regard to one of the settings.
I liked the main character and felt some sympathy towards her and her guilt.
I will recommend this book to others.

someone left long in the past she feels sick.

Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.

Because Maria Weston has been missing for over twenty years. I'm not adding the rest of the books blurb as I feel it tells the reader too much and this is all you need to know and it's enough to want a reader to know more. The story kept me engrossed throughout. I felt the author kept you guessing and treating no one throughout the book. I found Louise the character who tells the story irritating and weak at times but as your get nearer to the truth a lot is told to explain this. Great story with a very shocking ending that I didn't expect at all.

Excellent thriller that really works. I hate reading a thriller when you think 'no way could that happen'. Friend Request was believable.
Good twists and subject was really relevant with how we live our lives through social media.

This was good and not so good. A taunt thriller as I was dying to know how on earth someone could receive a message from a dead person. This Facebook premise is a sign of the times and very relevant to people now so it's not surprising that social media now provides this kind of landscape of intrigue and danger..

I did wonder how Louise was going to work things out and how on earth Maria and those messages were going to pan out. The whole premise of being back at school, afraid of cliques and dying to be part of other ones. The bullying, the cattiness and all that goes with teenage girls at school - well done but just dragged out a little too much for me. It’s very twisty, in a good way as when you think how real this could be - that strange friend request on FB could be someone from your past you never thought you’d see again....then it all heightens the tension. I’d just very very pleased FB wasn’t around when I was at school.
For me , it was a slow burn rather than a thriller, but I did read through to the end and smile as the answers came to light.

This was an excellent book which touched on the beauty of modern technology, but also the downside of it where you can never quite 'escape' from life. This book kept me guessing throughout, and every time I thought I had it sussed, I was proved wrong. Highly recommended.

Maria Weston sends Louise a friend request but Maria has been dead for many years, or is she?

I couldn't put this book down once I started. Just when I thought I had worked it out ..... Boom ...... another fantastic twist in the story and I was back to square one again, I love when this happens in a book. I'm sure this will be a huge hit once its released, I loved it. Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the ARC. 5 stars.

Closer to the time of publishing, there will be a review on my blog; https://kitchenelk.wordpress.com/

Wow this book kept me gripped from page one right until the end. I felt tension throughout and was desperate to know what had happened to Maria and who was behind the "Friend Request" to Louise and Sophie. I really didn't guess for even one minute who it was so was totally shocked!!
Well done on an amazing story would be a great film

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this review copy.

The story begins when Louise receives a Facebook message from an old friend, Maria Weston – the only problem is Maria Weston has been missing, presumed dead for 25 years. Louise has carried the guilt of Maria’s death around since then and now it seems that Maria is back and wants to make Louise pay for what she did.

I have seen this book on other review sites and was drawn to it. The whole Facebook thing was interesting in that do you really know who you are talking to, or adding as a friend? Are they really who they say they are? Many people have a Facebook account, I know I do! But to get a friend request from someone who you thought was long dead must have been very scary!! The story switches from present day to Louise’s school years. It delves into school bullying and clique groups. As adults they know it wasn’t the right thing to do which is obviously why they are so much in denial about it, but as children to Louise and her friends it seemed harmless and they were unaware of what tragic consequences their actions could have.

The story, for me, started off well meeting Louise as a separated single mother in the present day and Louise as a teenage girl being influenced by the manipulative Sophie. Here we meet Maria and discover why and how she was bullied. We don’t know what happens to Maria until near the end when the truth comes tumbling out with a twist. I honestly didn’t guess what was going on and found the ending good. I have to admit, I did lose interest in the middle part of the story. I didn’t connect with the characters like I thought I would have. I felt sorry for Louise as a child – wanting to fit in with your classmates and friends is not easy as a teenager – but as an adult I didn’t like her!

It was a good story, with some good nail biting parts and red herrings, but a bit slow at time for me.

I was drawn straight to the title of this book, and then when I saw the synopsis I couldn’t wait to start reading. Many of us, myself included, use social media as a way to connect and converse with friends past and present, and it is becoming almost part of our daily life. I am guessing most of us have received friend requests from people we used to work or go to school with, but I am betting you won’t have received one from someone you believed to have died many years before. This is exactly what Louise receives…..

From this moment the book is narrated by Louise, telling the story from two moments in time, the year she left school and the present day. Alternating between them both I got insight not only into who Louise is and the life she leads now, but also the events of her teenage self that bought her to this moment and make her so scared of receiving this request.

Friend Request provides a fast paced, psychological thriller that had me guessing what was really going on until almost the last page. The book is cleverly written, with a cast of supporting characters who along with Louise’s existing fears transported me into the mystery as it took twists and turns, and kept me captivated. I felt compelled to keep reading and was totally engrossed throughout.

As the events of the past and present reveal themselves and clash I found myself bamboozled and not sure who to trust and what to believe. I felt myself trapped in a game where I needed to piece the clues together to solve the puzzle. But there are traps in there and I got caught in some of them!

Friend Request reminds me of my experience of reading Before I Go To Sleep. Both books totally grabbed me, made me question who and what is real and had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I loved Friend Request and find it hard to believe that it is a debut piece of work by the author. Written with real talent I cant wait to see what they write next!

Great book, a tiny bit slow to start but then it moved along well. Full of twists, believable characters. Kept me guessing and every time I thought I had it figured out - another twist! And when all was revealed I was quite shocked. Well worth reading.

The premise of this book was very good but sadly it did not live up to it's potential. The characters were not likeable and were shallow and quite one dimensional. It had quite a good twist at the end but that was not enough to redeem it.

Fabulous book. I got hooked right from the start and could not imagine the ending!! A must read!!

Oh my! I think this book will be huge. Had me gripped from the first page. Alternating between the past and the present. A top notch psychological thriller which is so relevant in today's age. 4.5* from me. Highly recommend. My thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for the advance reader copy.