Friend Request draws you into the life of successful single mother Louise. Her life starts to crumble with the announcement of a high school reunion and a friend request she could never have expected.

I found the style of writing for this book to be engaging, and the largely character driven plot was intriguing. The details drew me in and clearly showed the strain that was placed on the main character by the events happening now, and the lingering effect of her past. 

I enjoyed reading this novel. It is not the kind of book I would normally pick up to read, but it was well written and I would recommend it to people who enjoy thrillers and tense books grounded in reality.

Although this book started off a little 'simple', the story really improved a third of the way in and it turned into a great suspense read.  The plot was complicated and I did not see the ending coming.  I loved that I couldn't pick what was going to happen and had no idea who 'Maria' was or whether she really was alive ( read the book to find out...)  If you love suspense books then this is a great one to read.  
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  I am very happy to recommend this book.

Book blurb...
When Louise Williams receives a message from 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-five years. She was last seen the night of a school leavers' party, and the world believes her to be dead. Particularly Louise, who has lived her adult life knowing herself responsible for Maria's disappearance. But now Maria is back. Or is she?
As Maria's messages start to escalate, Louise forces herself to reconnect with the old friends she once tried so hard to impress, to try to piece together exactly what happened that fateful night. But when another friend's body turns up in the woods outside their old school, Louise realises she can't trust anyone and that she must confront her own awful secret to discover the whole truth of what happened to Maria . . .

My thoughts…
This is a story that at its core is bullying and manipulation.  The life Louise lives is based on guilt and a lack of belief in herself from her school years right through to the choices she makes during her adult life.
Overall, a great read that will keep you wondering who is behind the Friend Request: an old school friend (I use that term loosely) or a dead school friend.  I did not have a clue until I was ninety percent through the story.
I would not have thought this book to be a debut novel.  It was so well plotted and paced.
I would recommend this to you if you like a thriller (but maybe not is you use Facebook!!)

Ten Second Synopsis:
With a child, successful career and recent divorce under her belt, Louise is disconcerted to receive a friend request on Facebook from the victim of a high school stunt, a woman Louise – and all who knew the girl at the time – thought to be dead.

I will be the first to admit to being reluctant to reconnect on social media with acquaintances from the distant past and this book did nothing to dissuade me from clinging to this anti-social stance with a vengeance. Louise made some poor choices (as they would be described in today’s school disciplinary lingo) as a high school student and carries immense guilt due to the terrible outcome of a vindictive prank in which she was involved. Years later, with a child, successful career and recent divorce under her belt, Louise is disconcerted to receive a friend request on Facebook from the victim of her high school stunt, a woman Louise – and all who knew the girl at the time – thought to be dead. The request sends Louise plummeting back into the insecurities and confusion of her high school-aged self as she is forced to confront her past actions while trying to ensure that her son Henry is untouched by this new danger.

This was a book that I enjoyed while I was reading, but in the end, lacked a certain something. There is certainly suspense throughout as we puzzle out with Louise who it might be who has sent the request and the associated questions – why Louise? Why now? – and a mounting sense of dread as Louise’s old school friends come in for a request as well. The ending, although unexpected, just lacked that heightened sense of terror that I was hoping for, in which I’m flipping pages and trying to read faster and faster to find out if the worst will happen. Rather, on discovering whodunnit, I had more of a feeling of “Well, that was unexpected!” The story also has a bit of a double-header in terms of who did what to whom, so the mystery is extended beyond a single reveal.

The author did a good job of providing multiple red herrings with plenty of characters both from Louise’s past and new acquaintances, with something to hide. The book flicks back and forth between the present and Louise’s final year of high school, during which the turbulent relationship between Louise, Maria and Louise’s girl-idol, Sophie is played out with tragic results. The actions of the fateful leaving party, during which Maria dies – or does she? – are revealed piecemeal throughout the book, so it is quite a long while before the reader has a good grasp of why Louise might be a target for Maria’s posthumous friend request.

Overall, this was an arresting read for the most part and one that I would recommend if you are a fan of contemporary mysteries that feature a bit of murder and suspense. Reading this one might be a good reminder to check your privacy settings on your social media accounts too!

This was a very well written book dealing with the consequences of school bullying. It is the type of book that all teenagers should read but is also very much a book for adults as well.  It has psychological thriller aspects as well and I found I wanted to keep reading and not put it down to see where the characters were heading.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would definitely read more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book and give a voluntarily honest review.

Wow wow wow!!!! I don't often give 5 star ratings, but this book is worthy. In this modern day of social media and the issues surrounding it, this book ticks the box. School girls and how bitchy they are, this book ticks the box. A thriller with twists and turns, this book ticks the box. Tick, Tick, Tick!!!

This book gripped me from page one right to the last page. A fast paced thriller that transported me back to my insecure teenage self in high school. Trying to pave my way through school as unscathed as possible. Surviving the treachery that is high school.

Louise has a closely guarded secret that has haunted her since high school. The only person who she can trust with it is her now husband who she went to school with. He knows what she did and guards her secret as carefully as she does but loves her just the same.

Louise's carefully orchestrated happy existence is thrown up in the air when she receives an unexpected friend request years later from a girl she went to school with. What unravels as a result will leave you guessing from page to page!

No spoilers here, this book is well worth the read and will have you on the edge of your seat!

Relatable opening premise - who can't relate to a social media friend request and at least minor regrets from teenage years? - and a well-written novel. I will be interested to see the development of this author and gave the book 3.5 stars.

Louise Williams receives a friend request from Maria Weston. Nothing unusual in that except that Maria Weston has been dead for 25 years. And so begins the mystery of who is behind this 'friend request' and why is this person contacting Louise after so long? We are taken back to 1989 when the girls were at school together and that period is interwoven with the present as Louise tries to unravel the mystery. It takes her back to a school reunion that is the catalyst for understanding those events of the past. 
The interweaving of the past and present works well and Marshall takes us into the world of adolescent girls who can be mean to each other particularly by excluding one of them from the group. The way these girls reflect on that time as adults is deft and credible as well as the lies we tell ourselves to justify the present. However, the book needs a good edit with needless repetition of feelings and thoughts. Overall the plot was good although I did guess the perpetrator long before the exposition.

Thank you Laura Marshall and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I found this such an interesting topic being stalked through Facebook by a deceased school "friend". Written in the style of Now and Then the story chopped and changed the whole way through. I have to say that I didn't zip through this book as quickly as I presumed but I can't say that I didn't like it. 
A so/so read for me as the main character Louise seemed to be so whishy-washy at times and then have strength of 100 lions the next page. 
A decent read.

What a thrill ride! This book had me guessing and second-guessing what was going to happen and what I thought I knew. 

I found Louise to be a very relate-able character; both as a teen and as an adult. The trials and triumphs of parenting, the minefield of navigating relationships, the hardships of fitting in, dealing with bullying and the harshness of high school, insecurities, deep regrets, fear ... all of this and more were covered in this very interesting tale.

What would you do if you got a message from the dead? On Facebook, where you can be whoever you want to be and nothing is as it seems?

It was full of suspense, mystery and thought-provoking realities. The writing was so well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's so much more I'd like to say about this book; about its characters and the plot, but I don't want to give even the barest hint of a spoiler towards the twist and turns in this well-crafted story. Read it for yourself!

‘Anyone can be anyone on Facebook. It’s easy to hide behind a faceless page on the internet.’

It’s 2016, and Louise Williams receives an eMail: ‘Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.’ But Louise died, didn’t she, back in 1989?  At a school leavers party.  The request brings back memories for Louise, memories of a time when she and Maria were becoming friends.  Before Louise made a series of choices, which have haunted her ever since.

‘But there are no actions without consequences, are there?’

Louise is now divorced.  She’s juggling parenting her son Henry with an interior design business that she manages from home.  Her business is successful, Henry is adorable and her ex, Sam shares the parenting.

The Facebook friend request sends Louise back into a past which she thought was safely buried in the past.  Louise has a number of guilty secrets which she desperately wants to keep hidden, but she can’t ignore the friend request.  So, with the help of Facebook, Louise connects with Sophie -  one of the popular girls she chose to be with (instead of Maria).

This is the beginning of a fast-paced novel, with some twists and red herrings, all designed to keep you reading (and guessing) as the story unfolds.  The cruelty of teenagers, the fragility of their relationships, the ease with which they select and bully others: I really disliked some of these teenagers.  And as adults?
What really happened to Maria Weston?  By the end of the novel you’ll know, and quite possibly you’ll be surprised.  I was.

‘I should know better than anyone that things aren’t always what they seem.’

This is an accomplished debut novel.  Ms Marshall maintains the tension throughout, and while some of the twists jarred, the story is frighteningly believable.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Great premise: Louise gets a friend request on Facebook from Maria, a girl who had died twenty five years ago.

While I’m not a huge fan of narrative written in first person present tense, I warmed quickly to the story because I could almost immediately relate to the main character. Her inner thoughts and insecurities made me feel like the author had lifted my own school years from my memories and put them on the page—at least in the early chapters before the story started to take on a sinister edge, but by that time I was hooked. 

The story switched from events in 2016 and 1989. Over these scenes a secret that irrevocably effected multiple lives was slowly unraveled and revealed. I really enjoyed the dribbles of information as the big secret at the core of Louise’s life became clearer. 

However by the time I got to around a third of the way through the book I was wanting something more to happen. For me there were only shadows and maybes and one thin certainty that something was going on, but not quite enough. It’s not until just past halfway that something concrete happens and despite the terrible event, I wanted to cheer. At least we were getting to something other than the intricacies of past and present relationships and the insecurities those relationships generated. Having said thought, though, I was still completely engaged in those relationships and at one point I almost missed a stop on public transport because of it.

Not all the reactions to certain revelations or events were believable. Without giving anything away, one in particular felt plot contrived to push the main character into an even more isolated position. Also, with so much introspection in the story, I had expected more impact on the main character when a certain devastating event finally did happen.

I did like the twist at the end, but overall I wanted more to happen. Usually in a book like this I expected major ups and downs, highs and lows, more of a ride that changes pace. Instead the overall feeling in the book didn’t seem to change much. There was a lot of smoke and not as much fire as I had hoped, and certainly not enough impact on, or change in the main character. Despite that, I would still rate the story four out of five stars because it was easy to read, the characters were interesting in their complexities, and I admit I enjoyed the nostalgia. 

I received a review copy of this novel from NetGalley and the Kindle edition was poorly formatted. I’m hoping that will be fixed before the book’s official release.

A great concept for a mystery thriller that had me in suspense throughout. The idea behind a Facebook friend rising from the dead and making contact after 25 years was definitely a spine chilling prospect and you really wonder about the absurdity of the whole Facebook thing and how open and vulnerable you become when you expose yourself on such a public forum as this book demonstrates. It reminds me why I decided to delete  my personal account, the idea of people you barely know getting such a personal glimpse into your inner sanctum and keeping in contact with everyone you ever met from high school days seems an odd thing and the perfect basis for a revenge style vendetta so I did quite enjoy the storyline. I was surprised by the ending and felt it was done well. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who likes a good mystery thriller and also anyone who has ever had a Facebook account could really relate to some of the themes that run throughout this book.

Because of the slow start, despite the lovely flow of the writing, I didn't know what to expect from Friend Request. I wasn't sure whether to keep reading because the main character was a shadow rather than someone I could identify with. She appeared to have dysfunctional friendships and no family life. At about the 50% mark, the story gained speed. It flowed along from there and I was left at the end slightly spooked and realising I was glad I had read the whole thing.

What a great thriller this was! From beginning to end I was on the edge of my seat, it's very clever in the way it's an allegory of our current obsession with social media. The concept could've very easily become something cheap and tawdry but the finished product is sharp, slick and intelligent. Excellent! 5 stars.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.*  Louise Williams, a divorced mother of a 4-year-old boy Henry logs into her Facebook account to find a request from Maria Weston... a classmate believed to have died over 25 years earlier. And so begins a suspenseful and gripping story. The chapters go between the present day (2016) and the time of Maria's disappearance (1989). Bit by bit, pieces of the puzzle are revealed, as readers discover more about why Louise feels so guilty about the past and why she has all but cut herself off from the world. As well as being a fascinating psychological thriller, the novel also serves as a critique of the modern virtual world of social media and the false constructs it creates.A fast-paced read that I struggled to put down.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Kept me guessing until the very end, with a very unexpected  twist! A fast moving and gripping read, highly  recommend!

What can I say apart from Wow, this book was fantastic, I loved it.  I really had a hard time putting it down, I just wanted to keep reading.   The characters were great, some you loved some you hated, the story was full of emotion and suspense and had plenty of twists.  If I could give this 6 stars I would I loved it.

This book intrigued me right from the start. The story flips between two time lines, 1989 when the characters were in highschool to 2016 when there is a reunion. Louise has divorced her husband and is raising her 4 year old son, the father being someone she went to school with. A friendship request from someone who allegedly died 27 yrs ago creates the mystery and drama throughout the book. Is she really dead or is she back for revenge? Louise is guilt ridden over the events leading to Maria's death and at the reunion there is another death. Are they related? The story was a page turner and the characters real. I had no idea what the outcome would be. Just when I thought I knew the author threw in a red herring...NO IDEA how did I not see that? Great story and I highly recommend it.

In a nutshell: Friend Request is a mind-blowing thriller starring the mother of a four-year-old boy. Basically this is The Girl on the Train meets Big Little Lies.

I absolutely loved this book. I could not put it down and by the end I felt utterly breathless.

Friend Request starts out like your standard women's fiction book. Told in the first person by Louise, she offers us a few whines, washed down by a few wines and a couple of entertaining anecdotes about losing-at-life. Nothing too uncomfortable.

Then the weird messages start arriving on Facebook.

Louise starts digging up her past and things go from WHAT THE? to OH MY! and down the rabbit hole we go. The pace picks up and just does not stop until the ending, which I actually did not see coming but made so much sense in retrospect.

I loved the way Laura Marshall puts social media front and centre. In 2017 Facebook is a part of most people's lives - some more so than others. She weaves into narrative an ongoing commentary about the way we use Facebook to pretend we're something more than we actually are, or to beat ourselves up by believing others' curated versions of themselves.

If you hate Facebook, you'll love this novel - it will vindicate every belief you have about the way it negatively affects our lives.

If, like me, you're a bit of a Facebook addict, it'll have you pausing before you tap on that little blue icon on your phone again (but probably only for a second, because you HAVE TO KNOW what lies behind that red notification icon).

Ultimately though, Friend Request shows that there were just as many people entirely lacking in manners and social skills (and basic human decency) in 1989 as there are in 2017.