Louise received a friend request from Maria. But Maria died 25 years ago.

Guys, I have a confession to make… I love psychological thrillers.

When Gone Girl came out, I rushed out to buy it and then put my life on hold/didn’t answer any messages for 12 hours while I got to the bottom of Nick and Amy Dunne’s tumultuous relationship.

A few years later when The Girl on the Train was released, I scoffed at it in public saying ‘It wasn’t even written that well’ but secretly I bloody loved it.

I love an untrustworthy narrator, I love a red herring or six, and I absolutely LOVE a twist at the end.

LISTEN: Mia Freedman is obsessed with Cat Marnell’s How To Murder Your Life. Post continues after audio. 

That’s why I was so excited when Friend Request, the debut novel by author Laura Marshall, landed on my desk a few weeks ago.

It’s a real page-turner and the kind of book you can dive into for a few hours and forget about your own troubles because – you know – at least you’re not being hunted by a psychotic killer.

The basic premise of the book is that the main protagonist, Louise Williams, receives a friend request on Facebook from Maria, a girl she went to high school with.

The only problem is – Maria died over 25 years ago – and Louise was partly responsible for her death.

Set in London, Friend Request explores the role social media plays in our lives and how now, more than ever, we can never really escape our past.

The friend request from Maria sets Louise off on a hunt for the truth as she revisits her past, faces up to truths she’s been avoiding for nearly three decades, and finally sees what’s right in front of her.

Like The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Marshall’s debut novel touches on the devastating impact sexual violence has on women and girls, and how the actions of a few can impact on the lives of many for years to come.

Friend Request explores the often tricky nature of female friendships and how past mistakes can follow you around for decades, shaping the person you become and impacting on the people you let into your life.

And, most importantly, the book ends with a twist you will genuinely not see coming. But I obviously can’t talk about that.