I tried really hard to get into I Invited Her In but I struggled and had to give up. Sorry this book was not for me.

Thanks to Net Galley and HQ for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Forme this book is definitely a chick lit and not a thriller. There are however lots of secrets to be discovered..
Mel invites an old friend from university to stay, she feels she owes Abi. Wow, what an impact Abi has on Mels family life, her husband Ben is baffled as to why Mel is so enthralled by her, hanging on her every word. Mels household is turned upside down as Abi take steps to put her plan into action, she wants everything that Mel has including her son Liam. Abi is a cruel vindictive manipulator and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Another great read from beginning to end from Adele Parks, ithis book will definitely not disappoint her readers. 4.5 stars.

Only on rare occasions do I not finish a book and I am afraid that this was one of them. I just couldn’t get into it and picking it up seemed a chore thus I am afraid to say I gave up - I am sure that I am probably in the minority but the story line just didn’t grip my attention and I guessed the plot twists early on.

Mel and Abi were friends at University together until Mel fell pregnant and Abi moved abroad with her partner becoming somewhat of a celebrity. Nowadays Mel is happily married with three lovely children.

Mel hasn’t heard from Abi in 17 years when she suddenly contacts her out of the blue to announce she is getting divorced and coming back to England.

Mel quickly responds and tells Abi she must come visit and stay as long as she likes. And so the story begins ....

This was a slow burner from the start and unfortunately stayed that way. The story begins with Mel inviting her friend Abi to stay after they make contact after many years of not being in touch. Mel's life couldn't have been more different than the glamorous Abi's, having become a single parent in her teens. She eventually meets and marries Ben, going on to have two further children all while Abi is living a celebrity life of luxury in the USA. As Abi's life begins to fall apart she decided to move back to the UK and so takes up the offer to stay with Mel and her family. Unfortunately Mel is so accommodating she neglects to put a time span on the invite and Abi is in no hurry to leave much to the consternation of Ben who is not a happy bunny at them being taken advantage of. Slowly we see Abi's true character begin to emerge and so the plot thickens. A good story but it was too slow for me to pack much punch and at times I skipped pages to get through it.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had just the right amount of interest to keep my involved to the point where I could not stop reading it.
I had to suspend disbelief towards the end when it all got a bit silly, but otherwise it was a great read.
The characters were well drawn and interesting and the family felt "normal".
It is a situation that many of us have found ourselves in...inviting an old school/college type friend to stay, only to realise that they are really not what you remember and you now, in fact, have nothing in common with them at all.
Friendships are made throughout life as you pass along it, many of them are fleeting, some are more of a commitment than others, but at the end of it all there are very few friends who remain the same for your life.

I really enjoyed this book and read it very quickly. It's an easy read, a bit of a psychological thriller from the perspective of multiple characters involved in a complex family dynamic and revenge quest.

My main complaint was that the twists were very predictable, and I would have appreciated at least one major plot point which wasn't easy to forsee.

I'm a great fan of Adele Parks and although in my opinion this isn't one of her best it was very enjoyable. It was a little too far fetched in places for me to fully engage with the story but is definitely readable.

What can I say! Adele parks never disappoints. Another great book from one of my favourite authors. I won't say too much about the plot as I don't want to give away any spoilers but I resonated with Mel as a middle aged mum of three. Keeping my family close from now on!

A lovely, classy read. Starts fairly lighthearted, then gets darker...and darker, with interesting twists and turns to the story.
I really enjoyed seeing how Mel coped with the various changes in her life, she was a believable, interesting character.
I also loved the way the story would switch around, from one character’s aspect to another - giving a different slant each time.
I loved it!

This is my first Adele Parks novel but I will certainly be looking for more. I was sucked in straight away and couldn’t stop reading, the interaction between the two main characters is excellent. It is a good story with lots of twists, a very enjoyable read

This is a great book - I got it on pre-release review from Netgalley, and finished it over a week of going to bed early to make time to read it! Adele Parks is an author I have read frequently for a number of years - and a bit like Lisa Jewell she has moved from chick lit to something a bit thriller-esq.

This story resonated with me as I am still friends with lots of my old school friends on social media but would feel a bit nervous if one of them actually moved in with me! A lot of time has passed when Abi contacts Mel and asks if she can come and stay with her old friend as a stop gap when she unexpectedly moves back to the UK after her life working in LA as a TV presenter comes to an abrupt end.

Mel's husband is a little suspicious of Abi's motives but Mel is desperate defensive of someone she feels saved her at a vulnerable point in her life.

What follows is a turbulent story of intrigue, suspicion and deceit - a complete page turner. Enjoy!

If writing style portends a good read ahead then right from the start I was hopeful of an entertaining time. If someone can deconstruct an anglepoise lamp in to a very playful sentence then you’ll see what I mean: “She was all angles, like a desk lamp, and it seemed remarkable that she was poised to shine her spotlight on me”.
If we put a spin on Exodus; ‘visiting the iniquity of the mother upon the son’, it goes some way to explain the core of the novel. Egocentric Abigail never fully recovers from the knowledge her best friend slept with her future husband and seeks revenge by setting her sights on the fruit of that consummation in the hope it will destroy her former friend. I must confess to having guessed the father of single mum Melanie’s son when Abigail offered to coach him on interview techniques but it didn’t spoil a beautifully told story.

When i was younger i read every Adele Parks book there was, i was obsessed and if you were to look through all my packed up book boxes you would still find them all. I must admit it has been a while since i read any of hers but i spied all the hype on twitter about the launch of this book i knew i had to give it a go.

Mel was happy enough with her family life and then one day she gets an email from her old best friend Abi. She should of ignored it, she should never of invited her in. However Abi is in need, she has a glamourous life but its all about to come falling down around her and she needs somewhere to heal herself for a while, away from the public eye.

Mel hasnt seen Abi since they were at uni and when Mels unplanned pregnancy forces her to leave uni, whilst Abi did visit once, the pair never remained in touch. So this seems both a bolt out of the blue and a chance to catch up.

Abi has deeper motives though, and all Mel can do is stand by as everything unfolds. There is a few layers to this narrative and whilst pretty early on i figured out where it was going and what was going to happen. It non the less stopped me enjoying it the read and i don't want to discuss what actually happened because it would totally take the shine of the book.

What i will say is I felt for the characters. I felt they all had their reasons for the way the behaved and acted out. A story of reunion that takes on a deeper twists. I loved the concept and the title literally says it all. I would certainly reccomend this and it reminded why i have always loved and read Adele Parks.

This was an okay read. The plot isn't bad. But I really disliked the flat, cliche characters. Also the tension on the psychological side unfortunately falls short to impress.

There are a few things in the book that made me roll my eyes, and one is the single mum reflection by Mel. First of all: come on Adele Parks. It's year 2018 and no one blames single mums, and excludes them from playgroups. I have raised one son here in the UK and always had single mums in playgroups and never seen any discrimination towards them. Does it really help portraying Mel moaning like this? Why not a moaning single dad, but a mum? Why? So I found Mel's complaints about lack of friends a bit far stretchered.

Secondly, I really couldn't stand the way she compares everything Abi says automatically with herself. she is supposed to be the 'good girl' of the story but it's so pathetic. She's also a very calculating person, i.e. decorating the house before her arrival to impress her. When Abi was telling how her husband cheated, she's expecting Abi to stop talking as her precious girls are in the room. Come on , I have children as well. you'd just ask your child to go to their room, or move yourself to listen to your clearly upset friend, when she's telling
you how her husband cheated on her. Instead Mel gets annoyed that Abi speaks walking on her cheating husband near her children. Is that supposed to be a good person? Just selfish, sorry!
Cannot relate or sympathise with someone like Mel and found her portrayal for survival quite sexist.
Overall didn't like this book. Sorry!

I thoroughly enjoyed this tense family drama. Although I’d heard of Adele Parks, I’d never actually read any of her books, thinking they would be very ‘chicklit’. I was mistaken. This was compelling reading as the story of deception, revenge and false friendship unfolded. The ending was pleasingly satisfying.

A well written book with a solid believable plot. I’ll certainly read more by the author and can recommend it without reservation.

Meg receives an email one day from her old university friend Abigail, telling her of her impending divorce and need for friendship. Meg is ecstatic with the possibility of rekindling her greatest friendship with the fabulous celebrity that Abi has become. However she’ll quickly come to regret this when she invites her into her home.

The story begins very well, with an unyielding tension quickly blossoming through the pages. However I quickly realise where the plot is heading in several places, which leaves this ‘thriller’ much without the thrill. Of course, Parks has done brilliantly in creating characters we love to hate, but it is so intense and proclaimed so early on the novel quickly loses pace.

An excellent piece for stimulating anger and frustration, I just wish the novel stuck to being a thriller for just a little bit longer before the expected reveal

Friends can be devious and deadly.

Mel hears from a long-lost friend from uni after 19 years. Abi has just split with her husband and wants to reconnect.

Mel invites her to stay and, for a while, all goes well, until Abi starts an affair with far-reaching consequences and lots of heartaches.

Revenge can be best served cold.

This is a well-polished and professionally written book with all the characters and their secrets gradually disclosed in the story until the final reveal. However, the book is yet another rehash of old friendships turned bad and the happy family turns into a nightmare.

I enjoyed the book but I predicted the main points early in the story and had a feeling of how it was going to end but that doesn’t detract from the book at all. Adele is a brilliant author and cannot be faulted in her books.

An enjoyable read that will make time pass all too quickly, it is a ‘just one more chapter’ type of book.

I look forward to reading more from Ms Parks.

Chester.

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

I really enjoy this author’s work and this book was no exception.

This is about female friendship, betrayal and revenge.

It starts off with Mel receiving an email from her old university friend Abigail, she is leaving her husband and needs somewhere to lick her wounds. Mel, feeling bad for her invites her to stay with her and her family to help her get back on her feet.
Unfortunately for Mel though this is the worst mistake she can make because Abi doesn’t have good intentions.

It’s pretty obvious from a couple of chapters in that there is more to Abi and the reason she is at Mel’s.
I honestly didn’t understand why Mel seemed so obsessed with Abi and her life etc. The more I read, the more it seemed obvious Abi wasn’t a particular nice person. Then as the story and characters develop more it became obvious why Mel and her had such a weird friendship.

At around the 20% mark of this, I had guessed who Liam’s biological father was. To be honest I feel like the author didn’t mean this to be a twist because it hinted at it so strongly.
At the 55% mark, I was ready to ask someone to hold my earrings and throw down with Abi.

I think it’s brilliant that a story and the way its written can rile up your emotions so.
I was so mad that I actually had to take a break.

Mel showed far more restraint than I would have and that (not so nice word) would have been flung out of my house by her hair lol.

From that moment on, I really felt Mel just kept showing his naive she was and especially at the end with the reveal. I mean of course Abi knew.
Ben, Mel’s husband also just annoyed the heck out of me. I also can’t help but wonder if he would have been so blasé about the whole thing if is had been one of his daughters and a man of the same age as Abi. Let’s face it, he wouldn’t have been.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. Once I started reading it, it kept my attention, never letting it go.
None of the characters were particularly likeable but all were engaging enough that I needed to know how it ended.

The small twist at the end was unexpected in a lot of ways, in hindsight it seems obvious but I didn’t see it coming.

I would say this is one of my favourite reads from Adele Parks.

Would you invite an old college friend to stay indefinitely having lost contact 20 years earlier? Mel does, and the book slowly picks apart the reasons why she is so ready to drop everything for her old friend Abi and explores the repercussions of her invitation and the subsequent visit.

There are *a lot* of themes tackled in this book; female jealousy, cheating husbands, single motherhood, age differences in relationships, family life, teenage hormones, female friendships being just a few! I think that the book might have worked better if instead of lots of little twists, there were just a couple of big twists and themes. Having so much packed in meant that the characters behaved rather erratically and often in a completely unbelievable way. The book had a strange slow pace, and coupled with the story being told entirely from Mel's point of view (with the odd chapter describing one of the other character's actions) I didn't ever experience a sense of unease or a building of suspense. In-fact the book fell rather flat for me and I never really felt engaged with any of the characters enough to care about the outcome.

My thanks go to Net Galley and the publishers for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

I found myself frustrated with several of the characters in this book and you just want to scream "Really???" at the things they fail to see or chose to overlook or the way they behave and get away with! However it is also a compelling tale that was certainly worth investing time in reading. As a mother and also someone who has a inherent wariness of all this social media reconnecting with "old friends", it sent shivers down my spine.