My friends are being slaughtered one by one. Decapitated. Burned alive. Chopped to pieces.
The hooded killer has vowed to keep murdering people I care about until they’re all dead, their profile pics on social media replaced with photos of their mutilated bodies. The police can’t catch him. They have no leads.
The horror is making the visions come back—the fire that took my parents, leaving my twin Alex and me alive, but broken.
The hooded killer won’t stop until I’m completely shattered. He’ll eat away at my mind, heart, and soul until there’s nothing left. No one left to love, no one left to trust, and nothing I can be sure is real.
Dr. Cross thinks a trip back to the place my parents died will stop the visions. Alex is afraid it’s a trap.
But I know the hooded killer won’t hurt me. That’s not his game. His game is much deeper. Much darker.
Rob Watson was born in Santa Monica, California. He is married and is the father of three children. He is the owner of Damaged Psyche Productions. He is a horror/sci-fi fanatic and has been ever since early childhood. He has been imagining and writing stories for as far back as he can remember. Some of his idols are Rod Serling, Steven King, David Cronenberg, Edgar Allan Poe, Alfred Hitchcock, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and Dan Curtis. Rob studied film and creative writing at Long Beach City College and California State University, Long Beach, after which he spent a few years working on movie production crews (as set PA, second assistant director, boom, etc.). Since then, he has written almost a dozen feature length screenplays (mostly horror and/or sci-fi) as well as numerous short stories and scripts. He has two original screenplays currently in pre-production and has written several "work-for-hire" scripts.
Release Date: January 2, 2018 Genre: Horror Actual Rating: 2.75-3 stars
Friends List is a psychological/slasher horror novel. It's got gore, mayhem, and a killer twist. Unfortunately for me, I saw this twist coming very early on in the novel so when it was revealed I felt... disappointed? I mean, the twist is a good one, just not unexpected for me. Maybe those who don't figure it out will enjoy the story more than I did. In any event, this is the first book I have read from the author. I will probably pick up another one in the future if it sounds interesting in the hopes that it will wow me more than this one did.
I’m not used to reading books that are so dark and twisted. And that’s why I’m a little confused right now. The writing style was good... really good. And I thought I knew who the killer was, but I was only 50% right. But still... I have that awful feeling inside of me after reading this book. How can someone be so crazy? There were so many people killed in this book 🙈 it pains me to think deeper about the meaning of the story.
Wow . . . That’s the first word that comes to mind about this novel. It was a very dark and macabre book that made me flinch more than once. It has the type of gruesome imagery that makes me want to look away, but I cannot and I am bombarded with scene after scene of violence. This is main reason I can only give this book four stars instead of five.
The storyline is fairly typical of many recent novels. A list of people who are methodically murdered one by one. This novel, however, takes a darker twist that makes me want to go back and re-read the novel with my newfound knowledge of the ending. And what an ending it was! The suspense was fabulous! I truly did not see Watson’s twisted plot unfolding the way it did!
This is one of the first novels where it has been a bit difficult getting the plot and the violent imagery off my mind. While I am a bit hesitant to recommend this to all audiences, I do believe that there is a specific group of readers who would find this thrilling and hard to put down. It is just . . . Wow . . . .
This is my first read by this author but it won’t be my last as I enjoyed this read.
I can’t say much about the storyline as I don’t wanna spoil it for anyone. I read this pretty quickly as I wanted to find out who the killer was. The pace in the last quarter was faster with some twists and turns that messed with my head. This is one of those stories where I’d have loved to buddy read it as there was parts I wanted to ask someone did that really happen.
🩸“Guess you don’t need brains with tits like those”🩸
🔪I received this book as a gift from the author, signed and all. With that being said, I really wanted to like it. It was such a sweet gesture, but I would not pride myself as a reader if I did not give an honest review…I HATED THIS BOOK. Not only was it extremely predictable, but it was sexist as hell. I usually get nervous reading male authors (call me prejudiced lol idc), especially when they write female protagonists and this book is the PERFECT example why I don’t like male authors 😐
Y’know those really corny and god-awful scary movies that just have a lot of boobs and blood in them? That’s what reading this book felt like. I found myself laughing out loud, and I know for a fact that the author was SO serious.
Less than 10 pages in, one female character was having a sex fantasy about her female best friend even though she swears she’s not lesbian or bisexual. Then 20 pages later, two other female characters are kissing each other passionately in front of their male friends who OF COURSE get turned on (because why wouldn’t they? 😒). And while I’m not a hater of sapphic romance, it just ticks me off that these scenes just feel like females being sexualized BY THE MALE GAZE. In addition, just read the quote I included at the top. One of the male characters thinks that about his “hookup” and he’s being fr. It’s just such an antiquated form of thinking and as a female, it really ticked me off. Last but not least, the protagonist, Lexa, was sexualized by all the characters and EVEN BY HERSELF. There was a part in the shower where the “soap washed her supple body” — what female describes herself like that?? There was so much focus on her virginity, her supple body, her creamy thighs, her wet & rose-colored lips. I was pulling my hair out. It’s one thing to include some spice, but it’s another to objectify/sexualize your protagonist in the grossest way.
Overall, I’m very appreciative of the gesture of this book. Thank you, Rob Watson, but this book is NOT for me. 🔪
Friends List is the first book that I've read by Rob Watson, and it certainly won't be my last. There not a chance in hell that I'll try to describe the storyline because I refuse to give any spoiler douchery away, plus not even sure I could if I wanted to. See, there are so many twists & turns that I probably couldn't ruin much anyway, except how many different ways to drop the f-bomb. At first, I was confused at what was going on, but once I caught up, the pace hit high levels of suspense which left my head spinning, and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. Still not completely sure what I just experienced, so I really want some other friends to read it to chat with me about it! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
This is an interesting surmise, although the characters have all been two-dimensional and very stereotypical. None of them were likeable to the point where you cheer when one of them gets bumped off. The pacing was also odd and kind of disjointed. I will shout praise for the beginning of the book, however, because the portrayal of the “Roomates” webpage was creative as heck. Aside from that, you can smell the ending and plot twist from a mile away and the whole thing just seems very rushed. The italicised thoughts bouncing from character to character are hard to distinguish because there is rarely a chapter told from just one POV as it jumps back and forth without much notice. All in all, it was a quick and somewhat-thrilling read, but I wouldn’t read this a second time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
*** I was given this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. ***
I knew that as soon as I read the blurb, I had to get this book from the Hidden Gems website. How could I not, when someone is killing the main character’s friends off one by one? In different, horrible gruesome ways. The whole time the killer evades the police and when they are done killing each victim… they post the pictures of that victim onto social media as that person’s profile picture. This all included seven friends called the “Magnificent 7” because of their friendship… among other things.
There were so many layers to this story that I was extremely impressed with how the story was woven with such intricate detail. The twists in here were KILLER too ! I just loved how reading Friends List was like watching a movie in fascinating horror as it all goes on with all the action. You GUYS! It was like, you never knew how the next person was going to get offed, until they did. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and I would have totally been biting my nails, if I was a nailbiter.
I was rooting for certain people not to get killed and was surprised with what happened and damn. This was one intense book. Some of the things that occured, I predicted, but others I was like, whoa now, wait now, what? HUH?! Oh dear.
No one can be trusted, okay? And nothing is as it seems. That is all I am saying at this point. For Real.
Lexa Rhodes is trying to get along with her life as a graduate student despite her turbulent past. She along with her six of her friends, has just helped get a great man get elected senator and the grateful senator wants to show his appreciation and give them all jobs. As the Magnificent 7 (as they are publicly dubbed) are treated to a Thanksgiving getaway tragedy strikes with the death of one of the beloved members. Quickly the death count rises, and it seems that all the deaths revolve around Lexa Rhodes. Can the police find this psychotic killer before he takes out the remaining members of this elite political team?
Rob Watson writes a very twisted psychological suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat and trying to figure out the inner workers of a killer’s mind. Friends List left me at times scratching my head and wondering what in the hell was going on besides the actual murder mystery. These puzzling scenes just added to the suspense and kept me turning the pages to find out who the culprit really was and what the true underlying story that was going to be told. The surprise ending was a real shocker and was not something that was suspected at all.
i really wanted to like this scary book! it was just to much all over the place. hard to keep up. her friends are dying left and right will she be next? read to find out.
Serial killer, slasher, psychological thriller. Not my bag but of you like bloody gore, murder, mayhem and a mind twisting ending this is the book for you.
Serial killer, slasher, psychological thriller. Not my bag but of you like bloody gore, murder, mayhem and a mind twisting ending this is the book for you. ~ A Bibliophile ❤️📚
Really enjoyed this book. I always love slasher books/movies. I love when horror books have a crazy twist to the ending and this definitely didn't disappoint!
Friends List is a mystery/thriller that revolves around seven friends who one by one are being killed in the order of one of the people, Lexa, has them on her friends list in a private chat room. Lexa is the main character and most of the events are through her eyes.
While thrillers aren't my go-to when choosing a read, I do enjoy a well mapped and laid out one. Unfortunately, while the premise of Friends List was very interesting and various options as to who was the killer were presented, who did it was fairly predictable. The characters, while diverse in personality and set up, needed a bit more fleshing out. There was a fair amount of serial killer gore to be had with each friend going out in a different and sometimes quite graphic way.
The writing was good but slightly choppy in a way I couldn't quite find a rhythm with. It wasn't until I read the author's bio on Goodreads that I realized what was off for me. Rob Watson's resume includes screenwriting which could explain why the story was missing some of fluidity that you need in a book.
Overall this is a decent read with a plot twist ending that is quite interesting and a twist on a common twist.
Friends List is the first book I’ve read by author Rob Watson and it was quite an introduction. I thought the synopsis for this book was really interesting and would be a great set-up for a suspense thriller book. I truly expected it to freak me out while reading it but it didn’t.
The premise of someone being obsessed with one person and killing off any “competition” for that person’s time, especially through a social media list, should scare anyone. The book starts out with a death and the craziness just continues from there. It was hard for me to be pulled into the story because of the way the book was written and it’s hard to explain the choppiness of the story, which did not flow easily; it was segmented in short sections, so it jumped from part to part. There were many point of views, which wouldn’t necessarily be an issue, if the story flowed better.
For the most part I enjoyed this book. I knew from the first murder who the murderer was and nothing that happened throughout the book changed my opinion of that. The issues with the murderer were no surprise and I expected them from pretty early into the book. But, there was one twist I didn’t see coming at the end of the book, so there was that surprise. And, yet, maybe I would have seen that surprise coming if I was fully engaged in the story. The ending wasn’t a favorite, because I like some kind of conclusion in a book, but maybe that in itself, is the conclusion.
Rating: 3.5 stars
**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
Received this book as an ARC for my honest review.
They are call the Magnificent 7. Right from the beginning it gets whittled down to 6 but none of the others know that they have lost one. Once they find out they lost one, they start dropping like flies. They all worked for a Senator and helped him get elected. They are all supposed to start working for him as the Magnificent 7 but now they don't know who is next. Lexi is the main character and she lost her mom and dad in a fire when she was about 8 and she now lives with her twin brother Alex and her Aunt and Uncle. She has been seeing a counselor for years and now since her friend group is getting murdered she doesn't know what way to turn. Is she next or is one of her other friends? The ending had a twist to it that I saw coming about 1/2 way through the book. The premise of the book was good but it felt like the book was written more for a YA than an adult. The language used was a little simplistic for my own taste. I love mystery, thriller, horror but this book just fell flat for me.
This is the first book I have read by Rob Watson but it probably won't be my last. I was drawn by the blurb, that promised a story that was right up my street and it wasn't far wrong.
Initially my rating was 3 stars but after I was left blown away by the ending, I just had to give it an extra star.
Friend's List was a little slow to start with but when it started to pick up and the author was throwing the twists and turns out, I couldn't put it down. At one point I thought I had it all worked out and then BOOM Rob proved me wrong!
It was full of nail biting suspense, mystery and drama that kept me on the edge of my seat and completely hooked until the end.
This was a mash up of several horror movies from the 80s and it even borrows from the twist ending of one of those said films (not going to give it away but if you read this, you know what I'm talking about. I guessed the first major twist two chapters in, making the story a little dull and predictable. I thought the characters were bland, cardboard cutouts and the plot waa very by the numbers. I can't put my finger on it but there was this depth, regardless of what I said before, that puts this tale slightly above others in this genre. I must say that even though the major twist was hella predictable, I didn't see some of those ending twists coming at all. Rather enjoyed this one, even though it frustrated me.
What would you do if a serial killer was eliminating the people on your friends list in order? You could unfriend everyone but what if when the friends are all gone you are being saved for last? Or maybe there's an even worse fate in store for you.
Rob Watson's Friends List does a great job at getting you to know and like someone and then killing them off in gruesome graphic detail. The edition I read had typos in it which are annoying and some of the characters are on the cookie cutter side but its easy to read, well paced and if you like pretty young things getting stabbed better you should read this book than go out on a killing spree yourself.
I really enjoyed this book. I needed to find out who the killer was so I read it quite quickly. I was shocked to discover that the killer wasn’t who I thought it to be. A good read with murders happening left, right and centre. Some you expect and some you don’t.
This is my first read from this author and I am always iffy about reading new authors in case they are not what I expect them to be, but I was very surprised and hooked.
Easy to read and for a crime, it didn’t feel too packed with useless information.
I really enjoyed this book. I needed to find out who the killer was so I read it quite quickly. I was shocked to discover that the killer wasn’t who I thought it to be. A good read with minders happening left right and centre. Some you expect and some you don’t. This is my first read from this author and I am always iffy about reading them in case they are not what I expect them to be but I was very surprised and hooked.
Easy to read and for a crime, it didn’t feel too packed with useless information.
All I can say is WOW I did not expect the ending of this book by Rob Watson. This was an absolutely delightful thrill ride as long as you don't mind a little vivid carnage description along the way as people on a friends list die off one by one. I really liked the tension and drama the author made this reader feel from page one to the surprise laden last few. If you like suspense, horror, thrills, and other fun things, this book is for you. This is a rather late voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Hidden Gems.
Very well done! I really enjoyed the plot and everything flowed so well. The characters were awesome and I liked how the POV shifted throughout the story. It almost read like a psychological thriller movie. I liked that this book was actually written intelligently, whereas a lot of these types of novels are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. This book was perfect.
Characters: 5/5 Plot: 5/5
Steam: None. Although it’s on some Goodreads romance/killer lists, this is not a romance at all
Be careful of who you make friends with. Alex & Lexa are twins that live with their uncle & aunt but everything is going wrong as someone is killing Leax's friends but why? And who could be next? But what does this all have to do with Lexa and why are your family so worried? The more people that die the stranger it all becomes but once we learn more about their childhood and the day of the fire we get to see why they are so intertwined. A good read.
Rob Watson is a writer after my own heart in the way he opens Friends List; it seems to be a scene inspired by slashers (and slasher parodies like Scream) and it was enough for me as a horror fan to cement Watson to memory. His writing is that of a true fan of the horror genre. Friends' List is the perfect sidestep into the reality of slasher films in a world where we're all a little too consumed by our social media outlets.