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Friend Request cover art

Friend Request

By: Laura Marshall
Narrated by: Elaine Claxton
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Publisher's Summary

Maria wants to be friends.

But Maria is dead.

Isn't she?

When Louise Williams receives a message from someone left long in the past, her heart nearly stops.

Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook.

Maria Weston has been missing for over 25 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 with a terrible secret. As Maria's messages start to escalate, Louise forces herself to reconnect with the old friends she once tried so hard to impress. Trying to piece together exactly what happened that night, she soon discovers there's much she didn't know. The only certainty is that Maria Weston disappeared that night, never to be heard from again - until now....

Please note: The original recording was replaced on 11/10/2017. If you own this audiobook, simply re-download it from your library to access the new recording.

©2017 Laura Marshall (P)2017 Little Brown Book Group

Critic Reviews

"A read-it-in-one-sitting thriller.... Twisty and gripping but always relatable, Friend Request is the ultimate it-could-happen-to-you read." (Erin Kelly)

What listeners say about Friend Request

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting premise

With social media playing such a big part in our lives these days, I was intrigued to read a book that had its plot based on the hidden dangers of airing our lives on the web for everyone to see – and there were times when I felt like deleting my facebook account and going undercover! Luckily I have no big dark secrets like Louise (or even if I did I wouldn’t tell – lol), so being stalked by some long dead friend from high school should hopefully not be a problem. Or maybe there is a reason I moved to the other side of the world? Without giving too much away, the story revolves around our main protagonist Louise, who receives a facebook request from an old friend from high school, who she believes to have died as a result of events involving Louise and her friends. Quite terrifying, really. But instead of tightening her privacy settings and running for the hills, she accepts the request, and even plans to go to an upcoming school reunion. Things quickly go south from here, and soon Louise is convinced that she is in danger.

I loved how Marshall incorporates details from our everyday lives into her story that could potentially have devastating effects. I have seen plenty of people air all their dirty laundry on facebook and give away details that could make them prey to some twisted mind. Even though Louise at times struck me as a bit naive and not overly proactive in trying to protect herself, I guess that this would reflect a good percentage of the population – as opposed to those who shy away from social media all together, believing that big brother is watching them ....

Reading Friend Request was like a ticket on the nostalgia train straight back to my high school days, which made me shudder. I was never one of the cool crowd, only surviving with all my limbs intact by letting the worst bullies copy my maths homework on a regular basis (if you’re a nerd, you have to make it work for you). Everyone has a Sophie Hannigan and her crowd in their class at one time or another, and I had vivid flashbacks to our own group of cool girls, who regularly made other kids’ lives pure hell. And to make matters worse, as a mother I had to witness both of my children experience similar bullying. So whilst this made me resent Louise for playing her part in tormenting other girls, I could also see her as a victim of circumstance, which was a balance well played by the author.

For me, the book started out really strong and had me totally captivated. My only letdown was the end. I know that endings work for some readers and not for others and there is never a solution that will please everyone, but I thought that with all the unlimited possibilities to create an ending to really stand out from the fray, the resolution to the mystery was a bit of a cop-out for me. After all that building tension and nail-biting suspense, I felt slightly cheated – I can’t say more without giving spoilers, but some of the threads did not come together for me and some of the motives seemed a bit far fetched. Which was a real shame, as I had imagined the ending to be some wild and wonderful conspiracy theory that would take my breath away.

Anyway, enough said. Overall, this was a contemporary mystery with many interesting premises that kept me interested until the very end, and I recommend it to anyone who has a facebook, twitter, instagram or other social media account. I bet you will look at your privacy settings a bit more closely after reading this!

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10 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good idea for a storyline

Great topical subject and interesting characters but found main narrator a little self absorbed & those parts slowed a good story down a little

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Don’t recommend

Didn’t enjoy the story. The narrator was fine, but the plot was average and the main character frustrating in her stupidity. I honestly couldn’t wait to finish it because I was just over it.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

Loved it. It was not what I expected. Full of suspense. Didn't want to stop listening.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book

Funny moment in the story where the presenter clears her throats and repeats her line. Missed the edit cut ;)

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Worth it..

A great book that kept me engaged from start to finish, with twists and turns that kept me guessing. Worth listening too

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Don't waste your time with this bpok

There is only one word to describe this book: boring. Sorry for being so blunt.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping thriller

This was recommended on Marian Keyes' vlog and it's easy to see why. It's a beautifully written gripping story.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Ok story

The main character was annoyingly stupid and it was hard to feel any sympathy for her at all. The narrator was also extremely annoying. I am sure she is a lovely person but I found her very hard to listen to.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story, well read

Loved the story all the way through. Was very easy to get into. Presenter did a great job

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