I love the way Adele Parks writes her books and this one is no exception. It’s a must read!
Abi and Mel were friends at uni but then went their separate ways, Mel became a young mum and Abi pursued a successful career in television. They lost contact over the years as their lives unfolded 7ntil, out of the blu, Abi contacts Mel again. And to all intents and purposes moves in with Mel and her family. And her influence , her presence is insidious. And Adele Pa4ks is a master at this kind of slow build!
I’m not going to to tell yo7 what happens. You must read it for yourself. Because it is so so so worth reading. Loved it!

When she is contacted by a friend from her college days who is returning home from the States because her marriage has ended, Mel offers to put her up for a few days. But as the visit drags on, Mel’s husband and kids feel the strain imposed on family life by this larger than life visitor.
An intriguing prologue to I Invited her In promises much but ultimately doesn’t quite deliver.
Maybe I am out of touch with 38-year olds, but I struggled to believe that either Mel or Abi could behave this way towards their spouses, children and friends. Some of this is predictable, but not all of it, and the conclusion is neatly done.
I must admit I felt unduly influenced by the comment- ‘Intense, clever, masterful’, attributed to Lisa Jewell. As always, some will love this, but not me this time.
With thanks to NetGalley and HQ

Adele Parks is my all time favourite author and I’ve read all of her books as soon as they’ve been released.
I enjoyed this book, just not quite as much as her previous ones. The storyline was just too predictable for my liking which meant I didn’t engage with it as much as I would like.
That being said, it’s a great psychological thriller and a must read for anyone that is an Adele Parks fan. A strong 4 stars overall.

Melanie Harrison receives an email from her university best friend, who she lost touch with after an unplanned pregnancy led to her dropping out of her studies. Seventeen years have passed and Abigail Curtiz, now a celebrity, is divorcing her husband after finding him in bed with another woman. Is Abi’s olive branch genuine, or is there more to this than meets the eye?

Adele Parks writes wonderfully, and I found myself drawn to her first person narrative. The alternating of perspectives, not just of Mel and Abi, but also Mel’s husband, son and son’s girlfriend, provided a varied and in depth account of the events.

The topic of the novel is very much relatable, primarily focused upon friendship and boundaries. It makes you think, provides discussion points (if only with yourself!) and the old saying “the grass is always greener” is very much key!

I did, however, find my interest wavering on this book. I think, in my honest opinion, it could have been far shorter, and that some of the day-to-day occurrences were a little dull to keep repeating. It felt as though there were parts that were drawn out a little too far and I found myself wanting (but I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it) skip through them.

Despite this, I did enjoy the book. It’s concept felt both original and natural, which was a refreshing change.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🙂🙄🤔😨😱😢😮 this sums up my emotions reading the book! A great psychological read that kept me turning the pages! I don't want to give anything away, but I felt that both the main characters had done some much needed growing up by the end of the story, so although I feel some people might have wanted a different ending, I quite liked the fact that it wasn't what you might have wanted!

This is an amazing book.

Mel dropped out of University to become a single parent. She had one close friend back in the day: Abi.

Move forward in time, and Mel is married to Ben and.beside Liam who she had at Uni, she has 2 daughters- Imogen and Lily. Things are going well for their family.

Abi make random contact via social media when her marriage to Rob (a man known to them both from Uni) has broken down and she wants to return from The USA , where she appears on cable TV,to lick her wounds,

Mel invites her to stay. Abi becomes involved with a young lover who turns out to be Mel's 17 year old son.

This is quite a psychological story with lots of twists and turns- and a few home truths are revealed along the way, with a curious case of history almost repeating itself.

I loved it. Many thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A complete page turned from the very first page and I couldn’t wait to find out who the “Stud” was and ultimately what Abi had planned. Similar to modern day Single White Female! Couldn’t put it down and highly recommend!

I am sorry to say that I didn't like this book. I felt that it was almost celebrating bad behaviour.
One main character is weak and the other is dreadful. Her manipulative attitude gains her the results she craves in the end while the main family suffers her disruption and then continues as before.
A poor story with little depth in my opinion and I would not wish to recommend it.

Another great Adele Parks book. Melanie and Ben have a great life together. Melanie had Liam as a teenage mum and then Ben came into her life and they had 2 girls. An old friend Abi from Mel's uni days gets in touch after 17 years and that;'s when their troubles start. Mel invites her to stay (hence the title of the book). Won't spoil the book by saying any more but it's a must to read.

I will start off by saying that unfortunately the greatest opposition and critics of women are often other women. Instead of supporting each other and strengthening a sense of sisterhood we tend to target each other instead.

Not that women can’t have spectacular friendships, the kind that last for decades, but perhaps there are women you shouldn’t invite into your home. Shouldn’t invite them to saunter half-naked in front of your husband and nearly adult son. Perhaps Mel is so blinded by the need to be Abi’s friend that she refuses to see her for what she really is.

If you have children there will come a time, and it might possibly shock you, when they reach a certain age and other people view them as potential partners. When you walk down the street with your teenage daughter and you realise the middle aged or young man coming towards you is eyeing her up like an ice-cream needing to be licked on a hot day.

I can remember the first time I realised one of the parents in my youngest son’s primary school was eyeballing my eldest son, a 6ft 2in sixteen year old, and attempting to flirt with him. I just wasn’t prepared for it, because in my head he will always be the cute curly-haired two year old.

My initial gut reaction to these moments was shock, then anger and now I use a technique I have spent many years cultivating called the stink-eye, also more commonly known as the evil eye.

I found myself wondering what I would do or say in the same situation as Mel. I’m not sure I would be able to contain my inner rage. The betrayal is an intimate one, boundaries are crossed and relationships broken. There are some things that are unforgivable even if you have to resign yourself to a situation you can’t change.

Parks really knows how make her readers experience the emotional turmoil of her characters. She does that by keeping her fiction as close to real life scenarios as possible. Real people and real emotions are her forte. It’s a drama filled tale of revenge and shocking betrayal, a compelling read about a woman being blindsided by a friend she trusts completely.

This is a read that will fuel discussion. Who is right? Would you forgive your friend? Would you invite your friend in? Yes, it is the kind of story that will make you angry and perhaps even a little frustrated on Mel’s behalf.

I am grateful to Adele Parks, HQ and NetGalley for allowing me an advanced copy of I Invited Her In, in return for an honest review.

I have enjoyed Adele Parks last two books but this might be my favourite yet. Mel is thrilled when an old friend comes back into her life. Although happily married to Ben and a loving mother, she enjoys restablishing her relationship with Abi and the excitement it brings. I read it with an increasing sense of looming disaster as the tension was slowly ratcheted up. I won't give any more away but it lead to a satisfactory conclusion with a few twists along the way. I would thoroughly recommend it.

I love a good family drama and this is exactly that. Melanie lost contact with her Uni friends after getting pregnant at the age of 19, so was in total shock 17 years later when an email pings into her inbox from Abigail telling her she is coming to the UK and would love to meet up with her. Melanie’s life is full of her family and her job but offers Abigail to come to her house and stay for as long as she wants. Absolutely delighted to have Abi back in her life, Melanie feels a hint of what she missed out on as a teenager. Drinking, gossiping and having a laugh. It’s the best thing ever having Abi back in her life! Isn’t it? Great read with twists and turns. Highly recommended.

Adele Parks writes consistently great books and this is one of her best. When Abi arrives back in Mel’s life after a long absence secrets are revealed and scores are waiting to be settled. The book throws up no great surprises but is still enthralling and I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended. All the characters are convincing and their actions plausible - something which is often lacking in this genre. The family dynamic is realistic too. All in all this was a great read and is thoroughly recommended.

Another fantastic book from Adele. Believable characters and well written.
How easy to fall back Into unhealthy friendships when you have low self esteem and a guilty secret to hide too.
I was willing the main character to wake up to what was going on!
Little twist towards the end finished the book on a high.
Well worth a read

Well. I have never read any of Adele Parks' books before and I took the opportunity from Net Galley to read and review this one. I have now tried to think of a 'blokey' word to describe it as the book starts slowly and builds to a sad, also happy and dramatic end - let's just try 'brilliant'. Every character is well drawn, and we are swept along sometimes supporting Melanie (who invited her in), and then telling her to see through her old friend Abi ( who was invited). Every situation is plausible with wonderful insight into older teenagers. Loved it!

I have only recently started to read Adele Parks novels and are totally drawn into them . This book did not disappoint .
So many twists and turns throughout the story although if I'm being honest the ending was a bit weak and maybe not as much of a surprise .
Good holiday reading .

This is an intriguing story of relationships involving family and long lost friends. It has many unexpected twists as it unfolds and an intriguing but satisfactory end in which everyone gets what they want. Apart from the story,it is very well written and the characters are entirely believable. It is sparked off by a student pregnancy which leads to an adored child but also to sinister revenge. I recommend this book strongly.

I'm not sure what to make of this book. What genre is it? Crime? No. Romance? Definitely not. Psychological thriller? Maybe?

Melanie is happily marred with three children when she receives an email from an old friend, Abigail. Abigail has seemingly made a great success of her life, married to university sweetheart, Rob and with a job in TV in LA. But everything has gone wrong for her and now she is reaching out to Mel after 18 years or so. Mel has always been a bit in thrall to Abigail so she suggests to Abigail that she should come to stay. And come to stay she does! Mel isn't bothered by this even when after several weeks Abigail is still freeloading and showing no signs of moving on. Of course all is not what it seems and Abigail has a definite agenda in mind.

I wasn't enthralled by this novel. It's readable enough but the characters are a bit one dimensional and although things change and there is redemption of sorts it just doesn't ring true. Mel is a pushover, weak and not really appreciating what she has. Abigail is .... well, let's just say I've never met anyone like her and I hope I never will. Mel's husband, Ben is a good man though. It's a shame that Mel doesn't fully appreciate that.

There is nothing in the plot that's surprising. I knew what was going on almost from the first page. So, all in all, a readable but ultimately unexciting novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Very inventive and full of adventure. I cannot wait to read more from this author. If you're thinking of giving this a go it'll be worth it.

I think is my favourite Adele Park’s novel yet. A very griping read with chapters narrated by a different character and it all gels together in ways I didn’t expect.
Adele has always written about characters well and the relationships between people and within families and this is no exception.

when you invite someone into your home, someone you know, whose marriage has ended, you’re going to want to comfort and help them right? Adele tells the tale of what can happen when it all goes Pete Tong. And THAT’s an understatement!

When Abi arrived in the family the novel really picked up the pace as the dynamics within the happy family change from the outset. That’s when the novel gets really exciting. Scary as it could potentially be true!

Oh and a nice little nod to the North East in this one. Adele is from Teeside so a nice homage to the homeland.

Let this book into your life, but be careful who you let into your home!