Just as most of us have an online presence, whether it be FB, Twitter, Instagram or any one of the many other social platforms available out there. I didn't trust anyone, and all of the characters seemed shady, the only one who was obviously innocent was L. Throughout the focus is mostly on the viciousness of teenage bullying and the potentially hideous regret perpetrators may endure, but at the end a different and equally chilling thread is developed perfectly and explains SO MUCH about Louise. Even though I was disappointed I still think this would be a good book if you don’t normally read this genre.

Not just suspenseful, it also has great dialogue and the issues brought up are so relevant to what's happening in the world today.As she thinks of her life the same sentence keeps running through her head "Maria Weston wants to be friends with me". Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. This is a well-written book, with clues and lies that change the direction of the story more than once. The first twist was okay, but towards the end of the book, the second twist felt like it was from a different book, with something much darker going on that I personally felt didn’t fit in with the original story.

That said, I can be all about slow-paced books if they are immersive enough, and FRIEND REQUEST is as much a fascinating character study about the cruelty of teenage girl cliques, as it is a murder mystery. I won’t say what they are because I don’t want to give spoilers, but I like that I can learn things even from fiction books. Her entire adult life, Louise has known if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. As with reading any thriller there were so many suspects amongst the cast of minor characters, but that also meant that there were probably lots of red herrings.The psychological fear to be contacted out of the blue by someone who supposedly died 25 years ago is truly chilling. Details are gradually revealed, so at first you have no idea of the back-story or the significance of this friend request, but you learn things little by little. Laura Marshall has written written a marvelous thriller that hits several hot tops from single parenting and online dating to bullying and social media and she doesn't shy away from these vulnerabilities in the least.

And that's saying a lot about Laura Marshall's writing ability because I was severely bullied in elementary school and am very sensitive with that topic.

However, after opening it, she'd give anything to go back to the boredom she was feeling just minutes before. When it seems like all psychological thrillers start to run together and sound like one in the same, Laura Marshall has an original and authentic voice. Maybe that had been the problem all along: Maria Weston had wanted to be friends with me, but I let her down. But to give a basic premise, the main character Louise receives a Facebook friend request from a girl she went to school with, Maria, who has been dead for over twenty five years.