Started well, but guessed what was going to happen. Found how it all played out a bit unbelievable, waiting for characters to point out offending things that had been said/done to them, but this didn’t happen. Some things kind of glossed over. Worth a read though

Years earlier Mel drops out of university due to an unplanned pregnancy and gives birth to a son, Liam. Several years later she marries Ben and they have two daughters together. Ben raises Liam as his own and family life, although somewhat dull, is happy and settled. That is until Mel receives an unexpected email from old university pal Abi, who's been living the celebrity lifestyle in L.A. with hubby Rob. Abi's caught Rob cheating and they're now embroiled in an acrimonious divorce.

On the pretext of escaping the drama and publicity, Abi contacts Mel to ask if she can visit. What better place to get away than back in the UK with her old friend. Mel readily agrees - it'll be nice to see Abi again and who knows, maybe her celebrity status will add a bit of zest to her own life. But Abi has an ulterior motive... one that will shake Mel's family to its core.

I really enjoyed I Invited Her In, my first book by Adele Parks. It was an easy read but one which had me gripped right from the start. It tells the story of a long hidden secret that resurfaces years later to destroy everything Mel holds dear. How can a friendship go so terribly wrong?

It's told not only from the perspectives of the main characters but also those on the periphery; giving the reader an in-depth insight into each person's viewpoint. This was incredibly successful and resulted in my allegiance shifting several times. You begin to question who really IS the victim in all of this. The complete picture is conveyed through the diverse outlooks, making it a multi-faceted and intriguing story. In my opinion it's a first class book from an adept and gifted author.

*My thanks to Adele Parks, NetGalley and HQ for providing me with a copy of this book.

I Invited Her In, Adele Parks
men's Fiction
Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:Mystery & Thrillers

I enjoy books like this, they challenge me to think “what would I do?” At first I was interested but I did get tired of the way the story was told, via inner thoughts, when for me dialogue based works better, where we have a slip back in time to see events as they happen. Well, see from that persons POV anyway ;-) Later in the story we do get some of these but the start nearly made me give up. Works for some readers that way though, but like me, not all.
I could see where Mel wanted to give a good impression to Abi, everyone is proud of their homes and family and want others to see them at their best, but couldn't see why she didn't simply ask her how long, set a time limit in the visit especially as Ben isn't happy about an open ended stay. Its not like they've been close for the past 17 years, even if they were Bfs at uni. It seemed a bit strange, and then of course I started to put things together, though I wasn't certain.
Its a fun read, very real characters, events that I could see easily working like that in real life. I didn't like Abi, not one bit, but even so hadn't guessed exactly what her angle was. I was shocked by events, thought I liked the ending and then, those last couple of pages....Nope, I didn't want that even though they are not real characters. They felt real to me and I cared about them as if they were real.

Stars:three, I guessed a chunk of the plot, enjoyed the story and was surprised by other parts but I did get tired of some daily trivia that didn't add to the story, felt repetitive.

ARC supplied by Netgalley and Publishers

Wow - this really packed a punch. An old friend comes to stay. Mel is so happy to see Abi after many years following their uni days. Mel says stay as long as you like and Abi takes her up on that. Talk about overstaying your welcome! I found it unrealistic that glamorous Abi would want to stay this long. My head went a few places to try and understand this but nothing prepared me for the way this went. A real gripper of a story full of envy, betrayal and revenge. I strongly recommend.

Mel hears from a long lost friend that in need of help and she does hesitate in asking her to stay. Mel and Abi had been best friends, sharing student life until Mel's unplanned pregnancy she had to drop out of her studies.

Seventeen years later, Mel and Abi's lives couldn't be more different. Mel is happily married to Ben. Abi had followed her lover to L.A. for a life of parties, celebrity and indulgence. Unti she found out that her partner was cheating on her. When Abi turns up at Mel's home things take a menacing turn very quickly. Mel is a lovely character who feels guilty for what she did to Abi while they were still at Uni, so puts Abi before all of the people who matter to her most, her family. A definite recipe for disaster.

Each chapter is told in the first persons narrative. This is an emotion roller coaster read. The storyline certainly makes you think about scenarios they were in. A tale of drama, betrayal and revenge. There is certainly enough book for a book club to have a good discussion about it. I loved everything about this book especially the way it ended.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ and the author Adele Parks for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book very slow and laboured until over half way through. Points could have been condensed as very repetitive until last third of this novel. The pace picked up and was actually very good from then on. I guessed most of the twists from earlier in the script. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I would like to thank HQ and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘I Invited Her In’ by Adele Parks in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Melanie is eighteen and at university when she becomes pregnant and for six years brings up Liam on her own. Then she meets Ben who treats Liam as his own child together with Imogen and Lily. Seventeen years later Melanie receives an email from Abigail, her best friend at university, who lives in the United States saying that her marriage to Rob is over and she has to get away. Melanie invites her to stay with them for as long as she needs to. The reunion of the two friends should be a happy occasion but Abigail has plans afoot that could have a catastrophic effect on Melanie’s life and that of her family. Abigail wants what Melanie has and doesn’t mind how she goes about getting it.
This is a cleverly written psychological novel of jealousy, revenge and betrayal with the narrative coming from the viewpoint of Melanie, Ben and Abigail, and later Liam and his girlfriend Tanya. Although I thought the first half of the novel was a bit slow it gradually grew more interesting and I soon became intrigued as to how it was going to end. When I finally reached the conclusion there was a surprising twist which I wasn’t expecting. An enjoyable read!

I Invited her in by Adele Parks a five-star read that will divide opinion. Wow what can I say about this book without giving the game away, I have been a fan of the author for a while, but I can honestly say the last few reads haven’t blown me away, this one put me back on the path. This book was a brutal reminder for me as I left most of my strong female friends at 17 and moved to a different country alone, so although I made good female friends none that felt like the childhood friends that I had left behind and this was back before mobile phones were all the rage so I had the weird position of understanding Abi, to a point. But I also could get behind Mel, there is a twisted history and it will all be revealed as you read, and I promise you, you will be so hooked on this story that you will not be able to put it down, so cancel plans and get reading, be warned you will not be able to sleep until you have finished this, this book will suck you in and you will feel the overcrowding of the house, you will feel the need get out and breath fresh air. When things in the book develop and come live you are so into the story it will be feeling like its you in the room as a character not just reading a page of a book. This is I am sure going to be one of the best books I will read this year.

This book got off to an irritating start, I didn't see why you'd let an old friend over stay their welcome and then neglect your family, it all seemed unrealistic; but half way through it really got going. The second half of book is excellent and I couldn't put it down.

A brilliant book full of secrets and lies, once I had picked it up I didn't want to put it down and just wanted to keep reading. I loved how each chapter was from a different perspective as it kept it pacy and kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next.

A really good read about friendships, family and relationships from the beginning Abigail set's out and trys to seek revenge on her friend from university who she hasn't seen for years what transpires make's this book a real page turner with lots of twists my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last a fantastic book

I received an ecopy of this book via Netgalley.

This is a real family drama cum chick lit that tries to keep you guessing. I felt I was one step ahead of the game most of the way through but the ending actually caught me out.

The narrative is seen through the eyes of Melanie, Abigail and Liam and this gives an extra dimension to the plot. However, I really didn't like Mel, found it hard to believe in the depths of feeling attributed to Abi and really couldn't believe that anyone her age and with her sophistication could even imagine having a relationship with an eighteen year old. Although, to be fair to Mel Liam was painted as much more than that and it really stretched my credibility.

The plot is definitely different and at points it was quite compelling.

I Invited her In is exactly the kind of book I love to curl up with: where one small act from the past has come back to haunt the protagonist with devastating consequences. Domestic noir type thrillers suck me right into the plot: not too blood thirsty but spine-tingling creepy, and all too real like it could happen to anybody.

Starting with a prologue, the narrative has a mixed point-of-view: first-person for Mel (and a couple of chapters near the end for her son, Liam, and his girlfriend, Tanya) and third-person for Abi and Ben. This works really well, leaving the reader in no doubt who they should be routing for.

Whilst Mel made a stupid and selfish mistake in the past, she is just far too considerate for her own good. Who takes in somebody they haven’t seen for the best part of twenty years and lets them stay for as long as they like? You just know there’s going to be trouble and although Mel is likeable there were times when I just wanted to scream at her to throw Abi out. Mel feels guilty for what she did to Abi when they were at uni together and is so intent on trying to make it up to her she puts her before those who matter the most. She is also blinded to her flaws and selfishness. A recipe for disaster!

With both Ben and Abi having substantial third-person narrative parts in the story, this adds a further layer of dramatic irony, giving a nail-biting and page-turning read. Luckily Mel has the most amazing husband and Abi’s scheming plans to destroy Mel aren’t as easy as she thought they’d be. But Abi isn’t about to give up on her revenge and what she does next will leave you reeling. Whilst I did guess what happened in the past fairly early on in the plot, how Abi exacts her revenge is a unique twist on what could have been a cliched story.

This was a brilliant read with a great twist at the end. I recommend this book for anybody who likes Lisa Jewell or Louise Jensen.

Under Literature Love’s rating scheme this book has been awarded 5 out of 5 stars.

A great read that starts when on hearing of a pal’s sad circumstances Mel, a happily married woman invites her to come to stay with her and the family. But things aren’t quite as they seem! Abi has had no contact with Mel for over 17 years and at the beginning they spend drunken evenings remembering the past and soon Abi has taken over the family’s life and changing the dynamics to the determent of the once happy family of Ben, Mel, Liam her son from a relationship whilst a student and their two little girls. The reader is allowe to see that Abi is not quite the lost woman who washed up came to Nel but someone who has manipulated the situation of Liam’s real father to get her way and ruin her pal’s life, This is definitely a page turner that leaves you shocked by its finale.

I was frustrated by the main character as I thought she was very gullible! This did however make me want to read more as I guessed the first parts of the plot but needed to carry on reading to check I was right! The characters were intertwined and the actions of one affected the others. It showed how actions in the characters' youth affected them and their friendship much later on.

Predictable.

I’ve read a few books by this author before and I think that this is going to be the last.
At times, especially the first part of the book, reading this felt like a real chore which is just wrong. Who wants to feel like that when reading? Not me. The second part was a little better but I felt as though the author were trying to beat the clock – that’s how rushed it felt to me. All of the characters were vile and had no depth which really annoyed me.

To be fair, this was an enjoyable enough read but I just felt really let down at how predictable it was and how beige the characters were.

Many thanks to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry to say that I skipped through parts of this book as it just didn't hold my interest. The story was too long, I didn't like the characters and there was just not enough going on to keep my attention.

I was lucky enough to be sat on a beach while reading this over the summer. Although I found it predictable and it didn't hold any surprises for me, it was well written and I very much liked the main character Mel and her husband Ben. I found myself wanting to know exactly what happened to them.
The book has humour and moving moments, and it had an good insight into family life. I identified with some of the descriptions of chaos in the morning and at teatime.
Mel had been a single parent having fallen pregnant in her second year of university. She had been a good mum and had a positive and close relationship with her son. She had later met and married Ben and gone on to have two girls. Their life was ordinary but happy until an old student friend of Mel's makes an appearance and causes havoc.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Adele Parks for giving me to opportunity to read and review this book. I give it 3.5 - which I have rounded up to 4.

I am happy to admit. I have never read an Adele Parks novel before, always believing they are just chicklit or romance. Neither of which are really my cup of tea so I thought I would just give her a try.

Well THANK YOU Netgalley and the publisher. I was bowled over, a fantastic storyline so much so I was reading far into the wee hours. with a very large glass of wine. A superb read and it won’t now be my first and last Adele Parks.

A fabulous holiday read you can indulge in and devour! When Melanie invites long lost glamourous friend Abi into her life the results are dramatic.....an excellent Adele parks book that you love from the first page! Thanks