I adore Keris Stainton's books - she writes characters I want to be friends with and worlds I wish to live in. This body-positive and engaging read is no exception. Smartly funny, ridiculously heart-warming and highly recommended!

Another fun read from Ms Stainton!
Piper and Rob's beautiful second chance journey absolutely kept me hooked from page one!
I loved Piper and her 'Body positive' talks... and her crush Rob was swoooooooon! MS Stainton sure has a knack for writing beautiful,relatable characters!
It really made me think if I would have had my second chance with my high school crush! *siiigh*
Anyhoo... This book was sooooo fun! (A totally loyal Keris Stainton fan here)

**** FOUR STARS!
~Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for my ARC~

Second chances can be marvelous. That is exactly what Piper James experiences when she gets a message from her teenage crush Rob Kingsford. She was crazy about him in school, but has not seen him in eight years. Rob has invited Piper to accompany him to their high school reunion. Could she really have another chance with the gorgeous hunk of a man? That said, this is not simply a romance, though. It is a story about body positivity, friendships and family.

The Invitation is sweet, funny and tender. I so wanted Piper and Rob to get together. They both really liked one another. Piper's war with confidence and self-esteem is quite realistic. She has been judged by others due to her weight - including her family - and feels as if Rob could not ever really be attracted to her. This book had some great connecting characters, and they added to the humor in this story, including little Buster. This was a delightful, one-sitting read. If this book is indicative of the genuine writing style of Keris Stainton, I definitely look forward to reading more of her work in the future, maybe even stories about Matt and Holly.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for an honest review.

Lough out loud witty entertaining reading. I loved Piper’s story and her tale of her second chance at a relationship with Rob. Really enjoyed this light and enjoyable read.

This book is about Piper who gets a second chance with the one who got away. It's a nice story, yet I didn't feel connected to the characters. Body positivity is one of the underlying themes, which keeps coming back throughout the story. It felt a bit "preachy" to me. I liked that this book was funny and romantic. The ending made me roll my eyes, because it was a bit cheesy and a bit sudden. For me this was an okay read.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

What a wonderful book! I Loved the storyline and characters. I’m from North America , but I love British chick lit.

It’s a cute predictable read. Would make a perfect beach read. In my case, a cool chilly day in here the states. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I bloody love Keris' books! Every single one has made me howl with laughter at some point and The Invitation is no exception! Keris is the kind of funny writer that will make tea come out your nose (true story!).

Piper is one of my favourite book characters of all time. Her outer confidence teamed with inner self-conciousness make her very relatable and real. I love that she isn't the typical kind of woman you read about. She's ballsy, sexy and sweet but she's vulnerable and a bit broken too. I loved her relationship with Rob! It isn't easy reconnecting with old friends but she handled it so well. There are so many great characters in this book; Connie, Holly, Matt. Oh and Buster!

I would love for there to be a follow on from The Invitation! Please make this happen!

The Invitation is one of those books you think I’ll just read a couple of chapters and the next thing you’re nearly half way through the book.

It’s witty, warm and well-written and follows Piper who unexpectedly received a message from her teenage crush Rob who she hasn’t seen for 8 years. Throw in her bisexual best friend and flat mate Matt, her slightly stuck up sister, some old school friends and a dog with a dodgy bladder and you’re in for a great read.

This is the first book I’ve read by Keris Stainton and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

The Invitation by Keris Stainton is a sweet love story with some hidden truths (and some not so hidden). Piper is going on national TV against a slim and curt nemesis. Later, Piper is showered with compliments yet a few were downright mean with online comments on her body size. She gets a compliment from Rob, whom she hasn't seen in 10 years - but always had a crush on. At work, Piper is sifting through e-mail that tell her she should be ashamed of herself and that she is FAT.
Piper's background is then told; her parents died in a car accident, uni experiences , inheritance...
Piper also gets a call that her great Aunt, Connie, has been taken ill. While back in her hometown, Piper runs into Rob. He tries to talk her into going to their class reunion which is in 2 weeks. Finally, Piper makes up her mind to go to the reunion. Her flat-mate, Matt, helped talk her into it. At Piper's job, there is a "contest" to figure out a new name for an all-girl band. This helps keep Piper's mind off personal details. Yet, she goes on a date with Lee (from work) and she hates it - calls him "shifty".
At the reunion, Piper finds out that really no one has changed that much and has a great time. She gets tipsy and winds up in Rob's bed. But not what you first think - he brought her there so Aunt Connie wouldn't see her so drunk. He is really nice to her. She wonders if there is a possibility? She visits Rob the following weekend and they kissed. Monday, Holly (Piper's sister) is waiting at Piper's doorstep when she arrives home from work. James has left Holly. Holly stays overnight with Piper (and her flat-mate). The following morning Piper learns that Matt and Holly were together. Upset, she leaves for Rob's and he happens to tell her that he loves her when she arrives. Wow! THAT angers her! So, she goes to Aunt Connie's. Aunt Connie has a stroke bringing
both Holly and Piper to her side. Later, at Rob's, Piper reminds him that he called her "chubby" years ago. (Is that why she was so angry when he said he loved her?) With the week off work, Piper stays at Aunt Connie's.
Rob gifts Piper with a Walkman (with their favorite tunes - thank you very much). On the train home, Piper listens to the tunes and calls Rob to tell him that she loves him, too. The rest is a spoiler, but doesn't lessen the story. I smile as I write because it is so cute. Also well-written and superb development of characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity for a "sweet read" !

Thank you for providing me with a copy of the book. I enjoyed it- made me laugh and it was well-written. Good premise to the book too

An enjoyable read. Its underlying messages are not fully alluded to in the blurb and perhaps that's because the body positivity message could be off-putting for some readers. I do like the tale of things aren't always as you remember them (or expect them to be) and have taken notes for my upcoming school reunion...
I loved the scenes with the girl band, particularly when trying to come up with the names - that was fun, engaging and felt realistic.

I do enjoy this author's writing - there's more to these stories that meet the eye but actually it could come across a little 'preachy' at times. I didn't particularly like the title, I thought there was more to the story than just the invitation. In my (humble) opinion, Bitter/Sweet would have been a better choice that reflects the ups and downs of life.

4* An enjoyable read with some interesting characters.

While I didn't really find this story as funny as I hoped, it had a great female lead and message. I enjoyed this story and will seek out more from this author. More chick lit than romance, but it was good.

Short and sharply written with lots of humour. A nice set of characters. The outcome is predictable from the outset.

This was a pretty fun read and I stayed up late to finish reading the story. Piper was a good lead character and the story was not exactly romantic comedy but close enough.

Great beach or travel read!

Well it’s ok, I didn’t laugh out loud but I did read it to the end. It’s Pipers story and it’s a tale of growing up, missed chances, family, love, grief and determination. It just feels too slow. It’s needs to be less self absorbed and more outward looking.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy. 2.5*

This is billed as a romantic comedy which it is but but the underlying message in this book is body positivity. Unfortunately I felt that this overshadowed the comedy in this book and became a bit over the top in it's preaching.

There were some good characters in this book but I just didn't feel the same connection with them as I did with the previous books by this author.

The Invitation by Keris Stainton is billed as a second chance romantic comedy and I’m always a sucker for both of those things so of course I had to check this one out. I will say it probably is the best way to describe this one but a lot is left out of the blurb that I didn’t expect too.

Piper James is a twenty some single gal that has tried to put her past behind her and move on with her life after dealing with her weight and all the insults that come with it. She’s now comfortable in her skin and doesn’t let the negative opinions get her down but Piper also never expected to head back to where she grew up.

When Piper gets a Facebook friend request from her high school crush, Rob Kingsford, she doesn’t quite know how to react. With some encouragement from her best friend Piper does get in touch with Rob and is surprised to find things aren’t quite the way she remembered and it’s time to face the past.

The Invitation is the second book that I’ve read by Keris Stainton and I think after finishing this one I have some of the same feelings that I did with the other. There is quite a bit of humor involved in her stories to put them into the rom-com category but her leading ladies have some issues that also bring some angst into the story that brings the comedy down a bit for me. This one started off pretty solid making light of Piper’s weight issues but the longer it went on there was just more and more downer moments that it loses it’s fun a bit. What can I say I’m not a huge fan of a lot of angst so again this just turned into an OK read for me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I absolutely adore this author’s books, they are easy to read and I love the characters that she creates! This is a very positive book and I loved reading it.

I love her writing style and this really brought the different characters to life. Their interaction was superb, I really warmed to Piper, she is one of my favourite characters from 2018 so far and I could see myself in so much that she was doing!

I LOVED it – such a good story and no hesitation in giving it 5 stars – it is funny and heart-warming at the same time, a highlight of the year so far for me – a genuine pleasure to read!! (

I haven't read anything by Keris Stainton before - but having seen her compared to Mhairi McFarlane - I had high hopes!

It was a lovely, easy read - and I liked Piper from the start.  The fact that she's not stick thin is vital to the storyline in a number of ways - but it's mentioned in passing rather than weight / size specific - which I really liked.  I also liked the body positive message that Piper gave out - that shaming her on social media for being overweight was unacceptable - but equally so was shaming others for being 'too skinny'.  Nobody should be shamed for their size - whatever that might be. #getsoffsoapbox 

Whilst the blurb talks about the relationship between Piper and Rob - it's actually much more than that.  It deals with sibling relationships, relationships between male and female platonic friends, the effects of grief, relationships with older relatives - and feels much more nuanced than some straight rom coms.

I suspect I'm a bit older than target audience (and until there were some raunchier scenes I had thought would be a good book for my 14 year old, in fact she'd probably still think it was fine!!) but even this middle aged Mum of 4 enjoyed it.

I devoured it in a matter of hours, and would definitely read books by this author again.  I've noticed that it's down as a 99p download on Kindle once it comes out in June - and it's most definitely worth the price of half a cappuccino!

Keris' books always make me feel like I can achieve anything I set my mind to. Heart-warming, body-positive, sweet and caring, I am going to be thinking about these characters for a long time. Can we get a sequel about Holly, please?!