Friend Request - Review

Author: Laura Marshall

Genre: Thriller

Format: Hardback

Pages: 375

I was really excited about Friend Request when my book club announced it. The premise sounded really good with the whole social media take on the ghost in the machine trope. Add on the dreaded high school reunion, and I had high hopes for this book. I hate to say I was a little let down when this one hit the middle of the road for me. I really liked bits and pieces of this story. Other parts, not so much.

My favorite part about this story was the build-up. Laura Marshall doesn't waste any time, this book starts off running, and you left in the lurch for a little while with the main character picking up the pieces. After a while, though you start to pick up all the little pieces that are being laid down and you start to see where the author is going with this story and pick up on some of the 'oh no' moments. I will say though I totally was wrong on who our bad guys were.

Throughout the whole book, I had two solid theories on all the information that was being given to me as the reader. I thought for sure at least one of them would be right, but neither was correct. However, I absolutely loved the person behind the friend request. It felt believable that this person would do something like this, even after so many years. I also liked the wrap-up when we do finally find out what happened that night at prom. It was the one point I did get right, just on the character as the doer. 

For me the climax and the wrap-up were solid. I love a good open-ending, and I thought the pacing was quick as well. The plot moves quickly enough that you want to know what happened that night. Or, what actually happened to Maria in London. There are a lot of balls being juggled and it's enough to keep you reading. It's what makes this story so hard to put down because I got to the point where I just wanted to know how it all fits together.

My least favorite part of this book is our main character, Louise. In the beginning, I understood the anxiety behind her past, and toward the end of the book, I even understood her demeanor a little more when you realize what kind of marriage she had just gotten out of. However, at some point, Louise started to become whiney and obnoxious. Especially, with the events after the reunion. One of my biggest pet peeves with books is when they omit things to the police during a murder investigation because they don't want to be judged or get in trouble. When in reality they are only causing more problems and holding an investigation. 

This book deals with bullying, abuse, and rape. And, while I think the author handled the more intense theme with a delicate hand. I got really sick of Louise talk about this terrible thing she did, and it was completely terrible. She should feel bad for it because she's the reason a terrible thing happened to Marie. But, there comes a point where the reader I'm aware she did a terrible thing, and if she mentions how she changed since then one more time I was going to through the book. I really just wanted Louise to have this moment where she buckled up and took charge instead of just letting everything happen to her. I was let down at that moment because she never really did, what she did was get lucky.

I will say for a debut book it was pretty good. There were definitely elements in this book that grabbed my attention and this will be an author on my watch list!

HAPPY READING!!