Be My Friend

by Mique Watson

On March 14, 2010, 16-year-old Jacob Stewart vanished.

In the weeks following his disappearance, strange interactions he’d had with a mysterious online figure also known by the name Cronos came about.

This document is a collection of interviews, computer files, public news reports, and online speculation, as well as copies of Jacob’s online interactions with Cronos that were obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.

What we hope to accomplish by bringing this case to light is to reignite the desire to find Jacob and Thomas … because they could still be out there.

Genres: Horror, Splatterpunk, Thriller, Short Stories, Mental Health, Novella, Ebooks

188 pages, Paperback

Published April 26, 2024

Reviews

[Jan Agaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOT THE GOAT, MIQUE

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a depressing and disturbing tale. It follows mixed media (journals, interviews, chat logs, etc) to document the disappearance of a teenage boy.

I was hoping there would be more about the actual kidnapping/Cronos figure. Also more about Thomas. Instead we get a lot of Jacob’s chat logs and journal entries. While these are sad and definitely a cry for help, I think spending the majority of the story on this instead of the mystery was a bit of a let down. The ending with the package and the psychological torture of the family felt very rushed- I would’ve loved to read more about these aspects.

[KillerBunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm impressed, the author is getting better and better.

The way Jacob is written really remind me of myself younger, and the mother and brother felt like real person. I felt like I knew those people.

Cronos was definitely scary, and I loved how we saw the conversation, how he was fishing for informations about the protagonist.

Sadly I can't give 5 stars because, I felt like it had too much of "Megan Is Missing" in it and the almost identical sentence from another well known author, book.

Also I wanted more informations about what happened with Cronos, I feel like the book could have been longer.

[Jason Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate giving this such a low rating being fresh off that ending, but unfortunately this dragged way too much in the middle. Going into this, my expectations were admittedly somewhat high as this book follows the same subject matter as Jon Athan's The Groomer while being told in "found footage"-style as I like to call it. I was super intrigued in the beginning but this fell apart on me and just got a little too boring. I didn't care for the transcripts between Jacob and the anonymous antagonist, and the Jacob character was quite simply an idiot. The ending was pretty epic though, and I tend to put a lot of stock into that, so this gets a 3/5. If the author would have focused less on the boring Jacob character and his depression and more on the sick freak behind the kidnappings, this would probably be a 4/5 or dare I say even a 5/5.

[Meghin · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for mixed media horror look no further! This book is full of interviews, diary entries, and chat rooms following the disappearance of a teenage boy named Jacob. It’s sad, bleak, and depressing. This is very different from Mique’s other books as it is not as graphic but still managed to rip my heart out.

Full review here:

Reading short horror books under 200 pages (feat. my unpopular opinions)
https://youtu.be/jrYlCrNhous

[Danielle Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Although I am often alone, I tend to use books to distract myself from thinking about myself and my own life.”

Never in my life have I had such an emotional reaction to a book, especially a horror book. This story was absolutely insane and brought out feelings and traumas I never would have expected.

I’ve been in a pretty dark place lately, which has put me in a bit of a reading slump. I had forgotten I preordered this so when it popped up on my kindle I was instantly reminded of Mique’s dedication in Broken Dolls (For anyone who finds comfort and catharsis in darkness because happy stories are unrelatable.) and knew I needed to read this new book asap.

Thank god I did. While it brought me to some really low places in my own thoughts, it also brought me out of my funk and back to reality. As dark as this tale is, it brought me an immense amount of catharsis. This one will forever stay with me and has landed its rightful role to my top 5 of 2024.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

[renee w · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like reading Things have gotten worse since we last spoke while watching Meghan’s missing at the same time .

[Veronica ☠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

On March 14, 2010,16 year old Jacob Stewart vanished. 5 main people are interviewed and their stories are here. Included in this book are journal entries from Jacob, conversations with him and his online "friend", and we discover the truth of what actually happened to Jacob.

I wasn't expecting to be in my feels with this book but I felt it all! The writing style is different because it's not a story, it's entries from the suspects and also from Jacob leading up to the days of his vanishment. We hear from his mother, brother, news reporter, his 1 real friend, and the detectives on the case.

This journey into Jacobs' loneliness and pain was truly sad. I was bullied in grade school/high school and this brought me back to those feelings! Kids are jerks and bullying is no joke! Always keep an eye out on your kids, make sure they're talking to good people and that they're ok. This was sad but I enjoyed how it pulled emotions out for me! Highly suggest!

[The_5ft_reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this one just ripped my heart out! Absolutely recommend!

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know why I keep reading books that booktokers recommend me. 😅 One day I'll learn my lesson but here's another that really fell short and was super heavy and depressing. This book had it been a longer novel with more focus on the kidnapping and aftermath could have been really good. But it's just a look at the descent that someone lonely will go to feel wanted by a peer. I always ask myself when reading a book like this WHY WOULD YOU EVEN GO THIS FAR to make someone like you (in reference to the challenges this kid was completing) but then I remember that he's a kid. His brain isn't fully developed and he certainly doesn't have to full ability to understand the actions of this guy who's taking advantage of him online. It's just sad. And don't even get me started on the family. They were just as bad as the predator. Sigh... If you want to read something that will depress you then you can go for this one. Otherwise I'd skip it.

[The Anxious Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

My god that was depressing and horrifying.

[Sarah Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!!!

I will start by saying that I read… A LOT, over one hundred books so far this year! This book. This book has tied with my all time favorite and is now my favorite of this year. It is a heart wrenching, sucker punch to the gut story with so many different elements, I didn’t know something could make you feel so many different things at once! But, the sadness is something I felt throughout. I wish I was better at writing reviews because this deserves so much praise. The story telling, the structure, everything was perfect. Mr. Watson has been on my radar since reading Them. I have read everything he has put out and will continue to do so, he is one to watch for sure! I am such a huge fan!!! Thank you for this, Mique, I am so excited to see what is next.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Utter bleak garbage. Sickening in the worst ways. I skipped over large sections of it because it was just depressing torture porn. Zero stars and avoid it. I seriously question all the 5 star reviews.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be My Friend was a very dark story about Jacob who is lonely. I really enjoyed the prose, and style of this novella. Mique writes depression and loneliness very well in this story. I will definitely be reading more from him.

[Jacob B · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but it sure did bum me out. Also tiktok did not exist in 2010 so I dunno how to make sense of that.

[Precious · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️

😩😭 That was bleak but incredibly well written. Books centered around young characters are always heartbreaking so from the synopsis I knew what I was getting my self into.

This is a cautionary tale of the darkest kind exploring themes of loneliness and isolation and how those emotions can take you to dark places. Proceed with caution; this book really dives into the mindset of a depraved psycholigcally manipulative monster and a young helpless, innocent, desperate teenage boy dealing with depression. Grasping at any kind of reprieve. The way the story is told is engaging specifically if you enjoy a narrative told in interview, online chat rooms, and journal entry formats . The ending was gut wrenching. Readers should be in a good mental state before reading, this was raw.

[Andie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It hurts me to say this - but I just don’t think this author is for me. I really wanted to like it. The 2 stars are mostly for the extreme horror factor, Mique does a great job at that. But I don’t enjoy the writing style. Too long winded, the characters talk the same way (there’s no difference in tone/personality between the parents, reporters, friends), and this feels like it was a combination of some other books I’ve read. Also - this is just a weird thing that irked me - how was Jacob wanting to be an Uber driver in 2009 when Uber services weren’t widely available until like 2010-2011? I don’t know.

[Sarah McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gutted me to the core, and it has left my heart in shambles.
Imagine being bullied to the point where the only friend you have is a stranger on the internet, and you'll do anything to prove your loyalty.
This is a story that is written in interview form, and it does not lack in content.
It's going to stay with me for a very long time.

[Erin Summers · Rating 1 out of 5]

I skipped the last 5-10% that I did read. Super boring. Going no where fast. DNF

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story with an interesting concept. I thought it would be similar to The Sluts by Dennis Cooper, but this went in a different direction.

I definitely liked the story, and Watson’s writing is poetic by nature, but this felt too didactic for me. I understand that a goal of the book is to showcase mental health struggles, but at times it just felt like trauma dumping via an online message board.

I will say, however, Cronos’ manipulation was one of my favorite aspects (that sounds weird, I know). There were subtle things Cronos did, like mirroring, projecting, love bombing, etc., that shows the reader how manipulative they really are.

Overall, a solid read that I’d recommend to most people, as I know it’s a “me” thing.

[Allison Betch · Rating 4 out of 5]

OOOFF

This was ROUGH.

Have you guys ever seen Megan is Missing? This is that in book form. This shit was hard to read. Sad. Fucking morbid. Frightening.

MEGAN IS MISSING STRESSED ME OUT SO BAD AND SO DID THIS BOOK.

[Ronnie M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was ok. I was a little frustrated with the conflicting timelines.. like the story supposedly took place between 2009 and 2010 but mentioning things like TikTok and other things that weren’t even thought of at that time.

[Mistay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring Reddit rants to gore porn

What a waste of time. I could get the same experience reading 4chan. Thank goodness it was short, because it went from boring to “HERE LET ME SAY THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS THINGS”.

[Cierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring.

Repetitive. Uninspired. Bland.
It felt like a half fleshed out idea based on something we’ve already heard. Kudos for very believable self loathing.

[Toni Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me tell you, Mique Watson's Be My Friend is an absolute masterpiece of disturbing literature. Seriously, if you're looking for trigger warnings on every conceivable level, this is your book.
At only 111 pages, you'd think I'd breeze through it in a couple of hours. But no. This book took me days to read. DAYS. That's how off-the-charts disturbing it is. My mind was reeling, needing breaks to process the sheer intensity of what I was reading.
The premise alone pulls you in: "On March 14, 2010, 16-year-old Jacob Stewart vanished." What follows is a meticulously constructed nightmare, presented as a collection of interviews, computer files, news reports, online speculation, and Jacob's unsettling interactions with a mysterious online figure named Cronos. The fact that these interactions were obtained via the Freedom of Information Act adds a chilling layer of realism.
Watson doesn't just tell a story; they immerse you in a terrifying investigation, piecing together fragments of a truly horrifying puzzle. The hope to "reignite the desire to find Jacob and Thomas… because they could still be out there" is a constant, gnawing presence.
This book is a raw, unflinching look into the darkest corners of human interaction and the internet. It's a psychological assault in the best possible way, leaving you with a profound sense of dread and a chilling awareness of what lurks beneath the surface. If you can handle extreme content and want a book that will genuinely haunt you, pick up Be My Friend. Just be prepared to put it down often.
🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯 I'm still reeling from it. 4 stars, due to is being that messed up.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was heartbreaking for so many reasons. 'Be My Friend' follows events that lead to the disappearance of a young boy, told through a collection of mixed media.

The scariest and most darkest part of this story was the truth to it. Incident's like this happen everyday and we just don't realise it. This novel discusses the harsh reality and dark side of young people having access to the internet.

This book won't be for everyone. It is brutal, twisted and dark, but eye opening. If you go into this novel expecting not to have every question answered, then you will really love this story. I genuinely believe that the author leaving the readers with so many unanswered questions is what makes this story so unique. It puts us into the parent's shoes and allows us to feel some of the hopelessness that the characters are feeling.

I really loved this novel, the mixed media was a great approach to take and the author conveyed so many emotions in the reader. The sense of hopelessness and stress upon finishing the story left me wanting to read more from this Watson! This isn't a story with a happy ending, but it is one that will leave you questioning who you're really speaking to online.

[Lexi Trumble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Substantive review to come—I’m not quite sure how I feel about this one yet, but I do enjoy Mique’s writing and have followed his authorial career with great interest. I think he’s a talented writer and content creator and I love a story told in mixed media format, but finishing this novella left me with more questions than answers.

I liked this better than Broken Dolls but less than Them, and although it was less graphic than his other works, Be My Friend still had plenty of stomach-churning descriptions and underlying commentary. This is slow, character-driven, bleak, and emotional; I’m just not sure yet whether the actual storyline had enough substance to support such a heavy tone in such few pages.

I’ll come back when I’ve had more time to figure out my thoughts. In the meantime, I’ll pick up a physical copy to add to my growing Mique Watson collection!

[Rhonda Ofstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be my friend.

Different kind story that I read. The cover look creepy so that's what got me interested. Pretty good book and it's quick read.

[Roberta Suchon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m horrified :)

[Mel Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish Goodreads would give half stars as this is 3.5 ⭐️ from me. Would’ve been 4⭐️ but they’re dragged on in the middle so the 3.5 is rounded down.