Friend Request by Laura Marshall

A paranoid single mom is forced to confront the unthinkable act she committed as a desperate teenager in this addictive thriller with a social media twist.
Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she?

1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

2016. Louise receives a heart-stopping email: Maria Weston wants to be friends on Facebook. Long-buried memories quickly rise to the surface: those first days of their budding friendship; cruel decisions made and dark secrets kept; the night that would change all their lives forever.

Louise has always known that if the truth ever came out, she could stand to lose everything. Her job. Her son. Her freedom. Maria's sudden reappearance threatens it all, and forces Louise to reconnect with everyone she'd severed ties with to escape the past. But as she tries to piece together exactly what happened that night, Louise discovers there's more to the story than she ever knew. To keep her secret, Louise must first uncover the whole truth, before what's known to Maria--or whoever's pretending to be her--is known to all.

Kindle Edition, 385 pages

Published September 5, 2017

 by Grand Central Publishing

4/5 stars

Friend Request is a dual time period story where secrets of the past don’t stay hidden.

Back in 1989 Mean Girls was thriving and the repercussions roll over to 2016 just in time for the 25th Class Reunion.

This book had so much going for it, mysterious past, ghosts of the past and when those ghosts show up years later what follows is a twisted thriller with an unexpected ending.  

For Louise it’s a question of protecting not just her son but her mind. As she confronts the past and who this mystery person is (could it actually be Maria?) she also needs to reconcile to what happened and the role she played. This book had me questioning everyone Louise came in contact with, the time switches were nice and smooth, the mystery slowly unravelled to an fitting conclusion. It was a great ride.

This is Laura Marshall’s debut, looking forward to more of her books.

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing for a digital copy in exchange for a honest review.