Friend Me by Sheila M Averbuch

 

What happens when an online friend becomes a real-life nightmare?

Roisin hasn't made a single friend since moving from Ireland to Massachusetts. In fact, she is falling apart under constant abuse from a school bully, Zara. Zara torments Roisin in person and on social media. She makes Roisin the laughingstock of the whole school.
Roisin feels utterly alone... until she bonds with Haley online. Finally there's someone who gets her. Haley is smart, strong, and shares anti-mean-girl memes that make Roisin laugh. Together, they are able to imagine what life could look like without Zara. Haley quickly becomes Roisin's lifeline.
Then Zara has a painful accident, police investigate, and Roisin panics. Could her chats with Haley look incriminating?
Roisin wants Haley to delete her copies of their messages, but when she tries to meet Haley in person, she can't find her anywhere. What's going on? Her best friend would never have lied to her, right? Or is Haley not who she says she is...
With twists, turns, and lightning-fast pacing, this is a middle-grade thriller about bullying, revenge, and tech that young readers won't be able to put down.

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I love the cover of this book. It tells you exactly what's going to happen in it. If you've read or seen any American media for this age group, you'll have an idea, though Zara is one of the worst I've read about.

This fast paced read mashes up bullies, middle school and social media with tech advances to make something pretty unique. The author did a good job with Roisin's Irish heritage, too; the only thing that really tripped me up is when she referred to 'language camp in Connemara'. No Irish person would call it that, but maybe she was trying to avoid confusing other readers.

I enjoyed the story overall. There are plenty of red herrings and the pace keeps up relentlessly throughout. The ending is satisfactory as well. I can't decide if I want a Jeeves or not; he sounds brilliant, but then if things go like this one...

An excellent read overall. 

Friend Me publishes on the 10th November, 2020.