Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jerjen

For those of us on social media, at one time or another, we have all received a friend request. There is some anticipation as to who sent the request, who wants to be our friend? Imagine the horror you would feel if the person who sent the request had been dead for over twenty years. That is exactly what happens to Louise Williams when she opens up her computer and receives the friend request. Then she begins receiving messages that become more threatening in nature and she becomes very scared. You see, Louise has a secret that she has been carrying since she was in high school. Something that she does not want anyone to find out about. She has been dealing with guilt since high school and she is afraid that her whole world is going to come crashing down around her.

The characters are well rounded and three dimensional. Louise has a lot of baggage that she is carrying around from her teenage years. She does not want the events from the past to affect her life with her son now but she is afraid that is exactly what is going to happen. Her ex-husband Sam is not one of my favorite people, but then I think that is the way the author wanted me to feel. And Henry, her son, is just adorable.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The book was written from two different perspectives, the past and the present. This was a very effective way to let readers learn what happen so long ago and how it affected the present. Sometimes I do not like this writing technique but is really worked for this book. There was also some thoughts from an unknown person, which added to the suspense. Who was this person?

I really enjoyed the fact that the author wrote about current issues, and in some instances, showed how things were not much different back twenty years ago, such as how high school is tough and how bullying affects lots of people. Then there is social media and how anyone can find anyone they want to in this day and age. When you really stop to think about it, that is a very scary thought.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted psychological suspense book. I was pulled into the book from the beginning and I went on a thrilling ride until the end. It is hard to believe this is the author’s debut book. Be sure to check it out.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. Fabulous book. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! A must read!!

An explosive fast read that will keep you guessing throughout.

Louise receives a friend request on Facebook from Maria. Only problem… this friend died years ago, one fateful night during a high school party. But come on, how can Maria be reaching out to friend her now? As Louise preps for her high school reunion, all her deep-buried fears of that night resurface. She keeps receiving mysterious messages that become increasingly threatening. Louise knows she must face down these fears if she’s to ever have closure and peace in her life. Though it may be at a steep price…her life!

This book started off a bit slow for me. I was having a hard time connecting to the characters. I thought oh, no! Here we go again - another episode of mean girls (which, in my humble opinion is really getting overdone lately). But I couldn’t have been more wrong! The book absolutely picked up for the second half and I was flying through the pages! Of course, I was trying to find out who could be behind the friend request and messages. And I began pointing my little detective’s finger at everyone and creating the most off the wall scenarios to make them fit. Like the square peg in the round hole! Though some of my sisters had even funnier theories than mine! And once again, I was proven to be completely wrong! (But had fun doing it!).

Highly recommend for all thriller fans!

A Traveling Sister read with Norma, Brenda, Diane, Nikki and Berit.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Laura Marshall for an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

For our full Traveling Sister review please visit Brenda and Norma's fabulous Book Blog http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereading.wordpress.com

3.5 A friend request from a person you know is no longer alive. You know this because you were part of something you are ashamed of now, something that could cause great harm in the present. You have a son, a life, you don't want to lose what you have. What do you do?

Mean girls, bullying in highschool, cliques and wanting to be one of the in crowd, subjects covered in many books. What makes this one so suspenseful is not only the way it is written, but the steady pace, and how things keep changing as you read. As I told my fellow readers in the sisters group I was gobsmacked by the ending. Totally hadn't a clue. So there's that but despite this being a thriller and it also has something important to say. The terrible toll bullying takes on the bullied, those close to them, and even the guilt years later of the one who had a part in the bullying. It also can serve as a warning to those who post pictures, and expose details of their lives on Facebook.

A well done, thought out thriller.

ARC from Netgalley.

A pretty standard thriller, good prose but revelations were not that exciting or inspired. However, as a quick relaxing read it did the trick.

Didn’t enjoy. Very unbelievable

Could not get into it

I requested this book because it's about social media and I am so about that, thanks to one of my tutorials when I was in uni. Normally I read all the non-fiction stuff so it's pretty fun to read fiction where it plays a huge role for a change.

Friend Request starts when Louise gets a request from Maria, a girl that she used to go to school with. That would be quite normal and in line with the purposes of Facebook if it wasn't for the fact that Maria died while they were at school. And truth be told, Louise bullied Maria. Sure, she was 'forced' into it because she wanted to keep her precarious position in the social order (and Louise does genuinely regret it), but as far as anyone knows, Louise was a bully.

This request sends Louise spiraling, as messages from Maria arrive and she's forced to confront the past that she's been running from. A class reunion only provides more trouble and (mild spoiler) when someone is murdered, things take a decided turn for the worse.

For the most part, the book is told in first person from Louise's point of view. It alternates between the present and the past, but most of the action takes place in the present. There are also a few sections where the narration suddenly shifts to third person - I think this was done to heighten tension but all it did for me was to break the narrative flow and I ended up skipping those sections.

Where this book shines is in the relationships between the characters. Friend Request does a good job of showing us how toxic friendships can leave lasting impact, and the hold that your school experiences can have on you. I thought Louise was a very sympathetic character and a good example of someone who did awful things but is now trying her best to overcome her past.

I think this is a pretty good mystery featuring social media. I guess it's going to feel relevant as long as Facebook is the dominant platform, but even if Facebook itself becomes passe, I think the issues of being bullied, having toxic friends, trying to overcome your past will always stay relevant.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

What do you do with friend requests on Facebook? Check them out, right. Don't just accept. What if they're dead under suspicious circumstances? What then?

This is the premise of Laura Marshall's first novel Friend Request. And it sucks you in from the very first page.

Don't you love the cover?

Louise is a single mom to four year old adorable Henry. She's running her interior design business when Maria Weston asks to be her friend. This is awkward, as Louise was never friends with her at school - she was too busy trying to be best friends with Sophie and her popular friends. And none of those girls wanted to be Maria's friend. Except Louise, but she didn't try hard enough. Oh and also, Maria died on prom night. Weird, right?

There is also a school reunion coming up and Sophie is going. Will Louise? And who will she meet there, and how will she hide from the guilt of what happened when she meets those people again 25 years later?

This was suspenseful, a page turner of note, had a great plot - enough to keep me guessing - and a satisfying conclusion.

I enjoyed it immensely and especially liked the way it was grounded in reality - the drama and anxious moments felt true to life. The writing was really good too and if you like psychological suspense, look out for this one.

Solid thriller with a surprising ending. I thought I knew where this book was going the whole time, but I wasn't even close.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an advanced readers copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.

The story alternates between the past and present. In 1989, we see Louise as a teenage girl trying to fit in with the popular crowd. A new girl, Maria moves to town and there a rumors about her from her old school. Louise gets trapped between be-befriending Maria and impressing the other girls. Louise feels isolated from the other girls and turns her back on Maria. In the present time, 2016, Louise is an interior designer who is recently divorced with a 4 year old son. She gets a Facebook friend request from Maria, 25 years after her death.

The writing was suspenseful and the dialogue flowed well as the story unraveled. There are many issues that are relevant in today's society such as Social media (Facebook) and bullying. Social media is great for staying in touch and sharing pictures with family and friends, but there is a dark side that anyone can just look up your profile. People need to be careful what they post online for others to see.

This was a great debut novel, that keeps you guessing until the very end. I had some guesses as to who sent the request and was proven to be very wrong. I would recommend this highly

This is another one that I didn't really care for lately. The only reason I finished this one was I wanted to find out who was behind the friend request. I was a little surprised, but not enough gush about the book. Louise was really annoying. I wouldn't really recommend this one.

Really intriguing story. Had me from the start.

Thanks for the advanced copy.

A psychological thriller involving social media? Yes, please. We all know it's terrifying just how easy it is with the internet to find anyone and quite frankly, just about anything about them. Imagine getting a friend request from an old close friend who you thought was dead. Odd, but oh so intriguing! The story will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout with all the suspense involved. It is fantastic! The characters are entirely plausible. The plot is filled with excellent twists and turns. I could not get enough! If you're looking for the next hit psychological thriller, be sure to check out Friend Request!

Louise is browsing Facebook when she notices a friend request. The request is from a girl who died over twenty years ago when they were in high school. Is she dead or is someone playing a cruel joke? This was a good story with a lot of possibilities as to how the book was going to end.

What starts as an ordinary daily task quickly turns into something down right scary... Louise Williams sets down to check her email and finds something that completely rocks her world, a friend request from someone from her past... a dead someone. She knows that her friend died all those years ago, so how is that she is able to send her a request now, surely it's someone playing tricks on her. Maybe they know the secret that she has been carrying with her all this time, and they want to toy with her, maybe even get a little revenge... or use her vulnerabilities to make her feel weak and helpless?

Friend Request is a pulse pounding thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way through!! It is one of those reads that makes you think, makes you question everything you do, and opens your eyes a little about the role social media plays in our lives today. I liked the premise of this one, it intrigued me, and it wound up being so unlike anything else that I have read as of late, it was definitely a refreshing change of pace! The story line was well crafted with lots of unexpected twists and turns, and the characters were well drawn and easy to relate to... overall I'd say one of the best reads I've read this year!! Highly recommend this one, it will have you addicted from the first page!!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Malina has declined your request.

I wanted to get lost in this one just as others did, but sadly I found myself having a hard time getting into this one. It wasn't a "couldn't put it down" for me. I think what it lacked for me was the suspense. For some unknown reason I just didn't find myself feeling fear or dread for Louise's character. Don't get me wrong, there were a handful of what one would consider suspenseful scenes, but it didn't pack a lasting effect on the overall plot.

I also didn't get why others were so focused on the Facebook aspect of this novel in their reviews. I really felt that in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn't the premise of the overall novel. Sure, the friend request from Maria Weston sparked a series of unusual events, but to me, it wasn't the main plot at all. It's no secret that social media plays such a huge role in today's society, the things that today's youth will face compared to the youth before social media is drastically different. Innocence is lost. This is no secret. I'm not sure that it's fair to blame Facebook alone for this. Today's youth is starved for attention and instant gratification, and this will only continue to get worse as technology advances. Patience is a virtue, one that I'm afraid will be lost on the youth.

The reason I decided to give the novel 3 stars in the end is because I was actually surprised by the twist. I truly didn't see it coming, which is rare for me. This was the most redeeming part of the novel for me. Though I can't say that I was overall pleased with how the book ended. I think the novel would have benefited from an epilogue to really tie it all together. I had a lot of unanswered questions at the end, but perhaps that was the whole point. I don't know?

I want to thank NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Laura Marshall for allowing me the chance to read this novel in exchange for my review.

The description for this one gripped me right away: What would you do if you got a friend request from someone whose been dead for 25 years? No just that – but Louise did something horrible to Maria right before she disappeared, meaning that if Maria didn’t die, she’s probably mad. Really mad.

That’s the super-creepy premise of Friend Request, which is told in two timelines: 1989, when Louise, Maria, and their friends were seniors in high school (or whatever the English equivalent is) and 2016, when Louise gets the request and finds herself invited to a class reunion.

The central mystery of the book was fantastic. I did not figure it out at all – in fact, I had several incorrect theories up until the reveal. I’m not sure how I feel about how it all worked out, but it was a good ending nonetheless. Wrapped up everything nicely.

The only issue was that since one of the storylines is about bad high school behavior – you do get frustrated with the annoyingly bad high school drama. But at least Louise grows and develops by the end of the novel. I mean, it’s not like she can change the past. But there’s a nice dose of comeuppance for the nerds in there in terms of the reunion – I liked that.

Overall, I really liked this book. It was interesting and creepy in a way that kept me turning the pages.

Highly recommended.

The book follows a woman named Louise who gets a facebook request from a girl named Maria Weston, but Maria Weston is dead isn’t she?

We are thrown into a past/present kind of situation where Louise remembers a girl named Maria being a new transfer student in her school. At that time Louise was struggling to fit into this group of popular girls with her friend Sophie, who basically uses her and isn’t really nice to her and ignores her. So Louise befriends Maria, but when Sophie notices it, she deliberately drags Louise out of that relationship and the girls start bullying her and being completely nasty to Maria.

This book has triggers for drug abuse, bullying, and I think sexual abuse.

So Louise gets sucked into this popular world where girls use drugs and they thought it would be funny to spike Maria’s drink with Esctesy during something called the leavers party. Well, Maria disappeared from that party after the incident and everyone believes she jumped off a cliff, but there is no body so no one knows for sure what happened that night, or do they?

I felt the book started out slow at first, but eventually it begins to build momentum and I found myself invested wanting to know what was going on.

I found Louise to be a very passive kind of character. She lives in the shadows of what she had done, she is single divorced mom and her ex-husband part took in that whole incident of supplying the drug and being a part of.

I had a hard time liking Louise. I felt like she was very, I don’t know, she just existed as a character? Like there were several scenes in the book that I wanted to throttle her because despite the fact that she has a son the survival instinct in her takes quiet the time to kick in.

I was disappointed greatly by the ending. I was actually just cringing the entire time I was reading it and I found it physically painful to read it, because I hated the ending. It could have been so good, but Louise as a character just made me so angry at the end and the whole reveal flopped. Like all the build up the mystery, it could have gone somewhere so much better, but it didn’t.

Overall, this was interesting to begin with. I did struggle with Louise on several parts. Including, not being able to understand her not reaching out to the cops in certain situations and also the ending just flopped for me.

I loved the premise for this book. It's so spooky to imagine: someone you thought was dead sends you a friend request on Facebook. 

This book was pretty slow for me. I kept waiting for something big to happen. In the middle of the story, when Louise gets creepy messages, I was really excited. But closer to the end it fell apart. There was a lot happening and I lost interest. 

I think there was too much background given. The story spent a lot of time in the past. I would have felt more of a connection to the characters and the story if there were shorter flashbacks. 

Unfortunately, this book wasn't as exciting as I had hoped. It was too long and the ending fell flat for me.

A chilling psychological thriller! Really enjoyed this story. Actions of our past do not always stay in the past. In the age of social media, it makes the want to be forgotten past easier to resurface.