Friend Request by Laura MarshallMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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.
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.
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Oh, this book! So, when I first started reading it, I found the opening a bit slow. It was a take-it-or-leave-it book for me for a while, but then the pacing suddenly picked up and I couldn't read it quickly enough.
Louise has a secret. She was involved in the murder of her former friend Maria, at high school. Now she's an adult and a mother, and suddenly she's receiving messages from someone who's supposedly Maria. Louise panics and goes to see Sophie, the ring-leader of the bullies at school (the one who made Louise bully Maria). As an adult, Sophie is calmer and seems less mean and insecure--she was a classic bully at school--and Sophie has also been receiving messages from 'Maria'. And when they both go to a high school reunion, things get out of hand.
The story alternates between the present day and the characters' school years. The teenage girls in this are written so very well--the bullying seems so real and authentic, and the author really captures just how mean teen girls can be.
There are twists throughout this book, and barring the beginning, the pacing is good. This was one of those books where I could not work out who the real murderer was... every time I thought I knew, I was thrown off a little. And when we had the reveal at the end, I just couldn't read fast enough.
The identity of the person behind 'Maria' was a little bit of a let-down if I'm honest as that character didn't really have much page-time earlier in the book. But the reveal of the murderer was so good. Really gripping writing.
Oh, this book! So, when I first started reading it, I found the opening a bit slow. It was a take-it-or-leave-it book for me for a while, but then the pacing suddenly picked up and I couldn't read it quickly enough.
Louise has a secret. She was involved in the murder of her former friend Maria, at high school. Now she's an adult and a mother, and suddenly she's receiving messages from someone who's supposedly Maria. Louise panics and goes to see Sophie, the ring-leader of the bullies at school (the one who made Louise bully Maria). As an adult, Sophie is calmer and seems less mean and insecure--she was a classic bully at school--and Sophie has also been receiving messages from 'Maria'. And when they both go to a high school reunion, things get out of hand.
The story alternates between the present day and the characters' school years. The teenage girls in this are written so very well--the bullying seems so real and authentic, and the author really captures just how mean teen girls can be.
There are twists throughout this book, and barring the beginning, the pacing is good. This was one of those books where I could not work out who the real murderer was... every time I thought I knew, I was thrown off a little. And when we had the reveal at the end, I just couldn't read fast enough.
The identity of the person behind 'Maria' was a little bit of a let-down if I'm honest as that character didn't really have much page-time earlier in the book. But the reveal of the murderer was so good. Really gripping writing.
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