I am really loving the darker novels that Adele has been writing lately. I like the domestic noir feel and the twists and turn. I Invited Her in is the story of old college friends, Mel and Abi. When Abi's life falls apart, she turns to her old friend Mel for comfort and a place to stay. Mel happily invites her into her family home and tells her to stay as long as she wants.

Things are not what they seem, but Abi charms Mel just like she always did. While Mel is under her spell, Abi is carefully plotting and planning to find the ultimate way to seek revenge for a wrong that was done years before.

I love how twisty, turny, gripping and gritty this book is! I was kept guessing until the end. I actually gasped out loud when it all came to a head and I was shocked by the level of deception portrayed here. It just goes to show that you can never really know someone. Not even your best friend.

Probably my favourite of the new, darker Adele Parks books and a definite must read, page turner!

Fabulous fabulous read. As an Adele Parks fan, this did not disappoint.. A real page turner...secrets, lies a psychological thriller at its best. Couldn't put it down.

Loved it. What a great twisted story. Characters you loved to hate, you won’t ever look at old friends in the same way again. . Highly recommend

I finished this book but I struggled doing so. I loved Adele Parks' previous titles and I thought I was going to enjoy it but this one didn't do it for me at all. I thought the plot was really interesting and the story deep and twisted but I found that it developed slowly and that, at times, the descriptions were too long. I am sad it was not was I was expecting at all but grateful I had the chance to read another novel by Parks. Let's see what she comes up with next!

This was by far my favourite book of my summer reading fest. From the first page I was hooked and thoroughly enjoyed every twist and turn of this brilliant psychological thriller! Rather than regurgitate the plot, I will tell you how I felt whilst reading this fantastic book. Well, I found myself literally screaming at the pages for Mel to wake up and smell the coffee and also willing Abigail to mess up so that she got caught out! I had just the right amount of sympathy for Mel and couldn't help wondering why she was so weak and under Abigail's beguiling spell! At the same time as loathing Abi and her manipulative ways, I couldn't help but admire her tenacity in her pursuit for happiness!

A Brilliant, brilliant read! Many thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed reading this book by Adele Parks, I had suspected the twist but thought I was guessing incorrectly, it was still a surprise when the twist was revealed. I have read a few of Adele's books and this one wasn't stand out but it was still a good read. Abi was a horrible character, complete opposite of Mel and very well written.

I really wanted to like this book, after all the rave reviews about Adele Parks. This was my first. And it started off well, but by a third of the way through, it loses its way, becomes boring, mundane, tedious even, and the characters lose all their verve. I'm afraid it lost my interest early on, and I didn't care enough about any of the characters to carry on.

Wow!!!!!! What a book!!!! This is definitely a must read.

Abi calls upon her university friend Mel for help after finding her husband in bed with another woman. She packs up and flies from her home in LA to Mel's home in England.
Mel has the most happiest of families. That is until Abi steps into their home and blows the lives apart.

This domestic noir dealing with friendship and noir is very intense character study that is greater than the sum. The story is well written and though at times, it gets lost in the descriptive text, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it is difficult read. The book has a throw back feel of a 70’s novel and the better for this.

The suburban feel of the book is very much in vogue at the moment especially with the HBO and Netflix hits dealing with this genre. Parks does put her own spin on the proceedings and as the knife keeps twisting, the plot thickens proven that sometimes your friends can be your darkest enemies. At times, the pace does slow but with patience, the reader will be rewarded to the exciting conclusion that seems natural to the proceedings before.

The characters are strong and this is where Parks really lets shine getting into the minds and emotions of her cast. They are realistic, powerful and resonant within the plot. Through this characterisations, the novel keeps things interesting.

Overall, this is a dark suburban noir that ticks all the boxes. It is not truly original as this is becoming the new genre but she does have her own flair to add to the proceedings. Intense, smartly written and for fans of this genre, they should be rewarded. I personally enjoyed the book and was invested in the story and would recommend to people who are interested in this genre.

This novel by Adele Parks is a story about revenge although this is not clear from the beginning. The plot almost wrote itself for me with one line when Abi first arrived at the house. A good read but a bit far fetched.

Adele Parks has been one of my favourite authors of the last few years, so I was excited to be approved for an advance review copy of this, her latest book via Netgalley.

Melanie Harrison has a pretty ordinary life with husband Ben, a part time job and 3 children to keep her busy in their suburban life in Wolvney. A life that she loves. Until the shock arrival of her best friend from university days, Abigail Curtiz, makes her wonder if she is missing out on something more exciting. Life changed in an instant back at the start of Melanie's second year at uni when she found herself pregnant after a one night stand. Her hopes and dreams shattered in a moment of impulsiveness. Abigail was the first person she confided in after finding out, who didn't judge her actions or question her decision to abandon her studies and keep her baby. So why, after losing touch for many years, is Abi back in her life in glorious technicolour?

I love the contrast in the two women's lifestyles and characters featured in this book. Adele Parks is an excellent writer of people, the strengths and flaws that we all have. Her skilled observation of how diverse we all are - yet she never comes across as judgmental. Melanie is just like the majority of women in today's society; she has a job which she is happy doing which fits in nicely with her family's needs, a day to day routine of domestic chores and multi tasking skills to be proud of as she juggles the demands of three school age children and a working husband. Abi however is another breed: the successful career woman with seemingly no responsibilities and a glamorous appearance. Therein lies the problem as Melanie invites Abi to stay in her home, hoping to recreate the nostalgia of their earlier friendship. Abi is going through a messy divorce from her high profile TV producer husband Rob Larson, and Mel feels she owes Abi a place to stay while she sorts herself out. I did question why Mel felt such a strong debt to her friend when her only action back in the day was to offer a shoulder to cry on in Mel's hour of need - all was to become clear in time but not until Abi and her ulterior motives wreaked havoc in the Harrisons' lives.


The scenarios created by the author are sadly all too believable in our society where well-meaning, good-hearted people are cruelly used by others who have a sense of entitlement in their lives together with a nasty streak of revenge running through them. There were moments I wanted to give Mel a good shake to get her to open her eyes to what was going on in front of her eyes, and other moments where I wanted to kick Abi out and put her straight back on to the next plane to the States. Husband Ben was the one who was under no illusions and I think a stronger man would have put his foot down and reclaimed his home from Abi's clutches quite early into her stay but he was too nice, which kind of compounded the issues.

While I suspected where the final destination of the story would be, there were certainly strong plot detours along the way which I hadn't foreseen. This is a great book for a cold dark evening/weekend when you can settle in and wonder at how life can change so quickly and drastically when just one person decides to make waves. I would have loved to have been able to sit and read this in one sitting, snuggled up with the dog in my nice suburban, boring life with its regular routines. Maybe sometimes life's better that way, eh?

A very enjoyable read, and very dark and twisted at times. Not a huge twist as the story is quite open in terms of its plot but still very gripping.

This was a twisted, domestic noir all about friendship and betrayal, jealousy and revenge and wanting what you can't have. Unfortunately, it wasn't a book I cared much for, and I wasn't engaged enough to bother what happened to any of the characters. That said, I always try to read to end of each book, and this honestly wasn't bad enough to DNF it, so I continued despite not enjoying it. It's well written, i'll give it that, but the story was one i've read a gazillion times over using well worn tropes of the genre. I don't mind this if there is something to set it apart from the rest, but it just blurred into forgettable obscurity.

This is a great one to pick up if you're just looking to pass a few hours in a way that won't tax your brain. The characters are strong and realistic, but it was distinctly lacking in unpredictability, and I saw every one of the twisty surprises miles off. I tend to prefer quality over quantity in my stories and wished there had been fewer twists but ones that were much more of a shock to the system. Some of the behaviour of the characters could be deemed as unbelievable and certainly unreasonable. There were many moments where they came across as spoiled brats despite being grown women, and I found this incredibly irritating. I would say that this is either best described as a very tame thriller or womens fiction/chick lit, and fans of those book types will no doubt get along with this superbly. For me though, it just didn't work.

Many thanks to HQ for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 Dark, Intriguing, Soul Destroying Stars!!!

I was given this book in turn for an honest review.

When Mel invited Abi to come stay with her family, she couldn’t possibly comprehend the dark, twisted, heart-breaking months that lay ahead.

I Invited Her In was one of those books that I loved and loathed in equal measure. Adele Parks is an excellent writer and her story telling is fantastic. She captivates from the very start, and even when you feel yourself getting infuriated with a character, you still feel that urge to keep reading, Adele Parks certainly knows how to keep readers hooked into her stories.

The storyline for me was interesting, at first, I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. I had worked out one or two secrets quite quickly, however, I wasn’t always sure on what Abi’s intentions were. It was clear the woman couldn’t be trusted and from the start I never took to her at all.

I did find myself get frustrated and annoyed with some of the characters, I wanted to scream at them for not seeing what was staring them in the face. Some of their reactions made no sense to me at all, I couldn’t understand why they were allowing Abi to control their lives.

Around the half way mark this story made a great turn, and it was then that I began to feel heartache for the hell that Mel was going through. She had been naive and for that I wanted to mentally slap her, however, she had reached a point of realisation and her life was literally falling apart around her. Adele Parks brought me round to her story at this point, and the frustration I had felt melted away. I could see the clever way in which Adele Parks had written this story and I applaud her for the way she keeps her readers hooked.

I Invited Her In is a dark, heart-breaking story about secrets and deceit. It’s a story about realisation, that some people’s lives aren’t always as they seem; that the mundane life isn’t always as dull as you think.

Well written, with a storyline that drew me in early on. The characters are of the kind that you either love them or hate them. I found myself getting frustrated in some parts, not because the story was lacking, the opposite in fact. I found myself thinking how I’d feel in the situations as they unfolded. I would recommend this book and I will be looking out for more books by this author.

Mel and Abi were best friends in Uni, they were inseparable, but then Mel had to drop out to an unplanned pregnancy. They haven't seen each other for Seventeen years, and their lives couldn’t be more different. If Mel is completely honest, then she wasn't sure that she would ever hear from Abi again, as so much time has passed between them.

So Mel is delighted to hear from her old friend out of the blue, and secretly even more delighted that Abi is asking for her help.

Abi has always been the cool, modern, confident one. Mel, the likeable, dependable one and loves to help those around her. Mel is a genuine friend; the kind, warm, funny, generous friend, that we would all love to have.

When Abi arrives on Mel's doorstep, it is if all the years between them have been erased. Particularly as Abi is now single, having discovered that her husband had been cheating on her. Naturally Mel wants to help her friend in her hour of need, and welcomes her into her family home. She is thrilled at the chance to catch up and relive her younger years by rekindling their friendship.

But Abi has other ideas...

I thought when I read “The Perfect Girlfriend” earlier in the year that Juliette was the most manipulative character I had possibly ever had the pleasure of reading, but Abi may have just won that crown right off of her pretty little head...

Adele Parks has excelled herself with this novel. It’s a twisty, compelling tale of female friendship, betrayal, secrets and lies that will leave you wanting more.

A must read!

I quite liked this book,
I must admit I havent read many of Adele Parks books so I can’t compere. However it was quite an enjoyable read. Quite dark in places with a bit going on to keep you interested. However it did take awhile to find out as to why Abi was doing what she doing and by that time I’d pretty much guessed anyway !
Plenty of twists and turns.
8/10.

The thing I love be about Adele Parks is the way in which she writes about strong characters who are always believable and have me shouting at the pages at time. This book was no different. A books about life, friendships and secrets.
While I enjoyed the plot it didn’t leave me shocked as I could see it coming from the off. Overall a good read but not her best.

I don't often read dramas and thrillers - they don't usually give me the escapism, magic and emotion I want from reading, but I've got to admit this book has me changing my perspective!

I love the premise of this book. We ALL know someone fabulous who we'd love to say we are friends with. The 'girls want to be her, guys want to be with her' type. Abi is exactly the right balance between mysterious, glamorous and emotional, and really reels you in. More often than not, you are right there with Mel on her emotional journey as she navigates having Abi back in her life.

The novel is totally gripping, even if some of the 'shocker twists' weren't as shocking as the author perhaps hoped. Avid readers are experts at spotting upcoming twists and it's no easy task for authors to fool them. I don't think Parks quite managed it here, but with the emotion of the characters laid bare in the 1st person narrative, I didn't care one bit that I knew what was coming. I wanted it to come so I could experience the drama!

Loved it.

Looking for a change from crime genre, I decided to take a chance on this book as I recognised the author's name. I was intrigued to keep reading but given the time frame and speed of events, I found it rather unbelievable. Whilst Abi is supposed to be the anti heroine, I found myself increasingly frustrated by the mother and son's relationship and susequent actions. Ben was a saint to put with his wife's behaviour,but his reaction to Liam's relationship with Abi was bewildering. I guessed the twists and found the ending hurried and somewhat biarrare. Abi having a complete turnaround? Did she have a brain transplant or did the fall knock some sense into her. Not one of my better reads I'm afraid.