I had really high hope's for this book. I started off enjoying it but I felt like it just kept getting more and more unbelievable. The way the main character acted, her and her husbands reaction to what happens was just not how any parent would react. I don't want to give anything away so I'm being vague. I did like certain aspects of the book and did like and hate the ending twist. Disappointing book. #Iinvitedherin #NetGalley

This was just an okay book in my opinion. Nothing really grabbed me and kept me wanting for more. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, unfortunately.

A story of manipulation, jealously and payback! After 17 long years Abi contacts her friend from college Melanie in hopes of catching up. Abi has been living a life of glamour and luxury in the states and wants to come back to Melanie's small town and visit. Being the good host that she is, Melanie and her family invite Abi into their home with open arms. The problem is now how do they get her to leave?

The family is thrown into a state of disorganization as Abi's arrival seems to captivate and manipulate all of Melanie's time. Mel has always been in a state of infatuation with Abi's popularity in college and 17 years distance has apparently not changed that. In fact she seems even more in awe with her and her star status. Never mind that Abi did not even bother to attend their wedding.

I found the majority of this book to move at a slower pace and found myself getting somewhat frustrated. True in the end it picked up and gave us some twists but some were rather predictable. I found myself wanting to yell at both Mel and her husband Ben to get her out of their house as Abi continued to take advantage of them.

Abi was such an unlikable character I can't even express how much I despised her. Which is odd because usually I think this just makes them all the more interesting. There were just some things that I could not move past. Since it was a slow burn there was time for some great character development and I think that made me feel like I knew Abi even better, which allowed me to hate her even more. The author defiantly was able to stir up my emotions! Even though I enjoyed this book I do wish it would have been a little quicker to develop.

Thank you so much to Harlequin-Mira, Adele Parks and Netgalley for this ARC.

What a brilliant read this was. From the blurb and title it was obvious what the theme was. This meant that I found the start a bit uncomfortable, knowing a betrayal was to come. And along the way I had already guessed some of the big reveals, but this didn't detract from the enjoyment of the read.
The story begins with Mel and the balance of her steady family life being disrupted by the arrival of her glamorous long lost friend Abi. Well buried secrets are unearthed and Mel's sincerity and naivety become her downfall as she falls under Abi's spell and her beautiful family starts to unravel.
For me the story really picked up half way through, when there was plenty of twists and turns to come. I really couldn't put it down and I hope you will feel the same.

A dark domestic thriller packed with madness and manipulation!

I invited her in... and she took everything...

This was a brilliantly crafted character study! Adele Parks has skillfully constructed A story about the ultimate betrayal. This is not a story full of twists and turns nor is it supposed to be. It is a story about master manipulation and the motivations behind it. A Book about one woman’s rage and need for revenge and the destruction she leaves in her wake.

Melanie and Abi were the best of friends at University, but when Melanie becomes unexpectedly pregnant and leaves university they slowly drift apart. they both lead very different lives. Melanie is now the mother of three and married to a loving man Ben. Abi has moved to the US and become a celebrity, leading a life of fame and glamour. When Melanie receives an email out of the blue from Abi informing her that she’s coming home. Melanie does not hesitate to invite her to stay at her home. At first Melanie is so excited to have her old BFF back in her life, but soon she discovers Abi’s malicious intent.

Wow Abi was one twisted manipulative angry bitch! Seriously there is no other word to describe her, she was crazy evil! Poor Melanie was left trying to figure out why she was doing this to her and picking up the pieces of her life at the same time. There are a few twists and reveals that I suspected, but that’s not what kept me turning the pages. I had to see what Abi would get up to next, how far was she willing to go? Her fury seem to have no boundaries.

A dark drama about revenge, betrayal , and manipulation! Recommend!

🎧🎧🎧 Joanne Froggatt brilliantly narrates this story! She gives Melanie and Abi their own unique voices. Her Abi Voice was pure perfection, I think she made the character even more witchy, I seriously wanted to smack her many times throughout this book!


🎵🎵🎵Song Running Through My Head

You made a fool of me
But them broken dreams have got to end
Hey, woman, you got the blues
'Cause you ain't got no one else to use
There's an open road that leads nowhere,
So just make some miles between here and there
There's a hole in my head where the rain comes in
You took my body and played to win
Ha, ha, woman, it's a cryin' shame
But you ain't got nobody else to blame.
Evil woman, evil woman, evil woman,
Evil woman.
Rolled in from another town
Hit some gold, too hot to settle down
But a fool and his money soon go separate ways
And you found a fool lyin' in a daze
Ha, ha, woman, what you gonna do?
You destroyed all the virtues that the Lord gave you
It's so good that you're feelin' pain
But you better get your face on board the very next train.
Evil…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Vd-PX42v0

*** Many thanks to harlequin Mira and Harper Audio for my copy of this book ***

I Invited Her In # NetGalley
Adele Parks

This was, for me, a slow starting book. It took me about a third of the book to be drawn in. I was tempted to not finish the book but I preserved and I am glad I did. The characters were not notable and I really did not care for them. They did finally become more fleshed out and I found myself becoming sympathetic toward Mel and Abbi. Not to be prudish, but I did not care for all the sexual innuendo regarding their college relationship. It made me uncomfortable. The whole synopsis of the plot was shallow. I will try to read another of this author’s work to see if I enjoy it better than this. This not a book I will recommend. A 3 star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy read of this book for an honest review.

A fascinating read! With friends like Abi, you don’t need enemies. I could predict what was going to happen 30 minutes into the book, but my sadistic heart enjoyed the read as Abi tore down Melanie’s life piece by piece.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was simply brilliant, I enjoyed the writing style and the plot and didn't want to have the story end, I would really like to read a lot more from this author as this was my first novel from Adele Parks and boy have I been missing out!

Melanie (Mel) and Abigail (Abi) are best friends at university until Mel (just 19 years old) becomes unexpectedly pregnant during their first year. Mel claims to not know the identify of her baby's father, that it was a one-night stand with someone who doesn't go to their university and she knows she will never see again. She drops out of university to care for her child, and, subsequently, loses touch with everyone, including Abi.

17 years later, Mel receives an e-mail from Abi out of the blue. Abi is in the middle of a divorce - she caught her husband shagging his (much younger) PA - and now needs a place to stay. Mel extends an open-ended invitation into her home, which Abi readily accepts. And that's when everything spirals out of control.

*Slight implied spoilers follow, but nothing explicitly discussed.*

This book was really hard for me. I don't think I've ever been so stressed out while reading a book. I couldn't read it fast enough, mainly because I wanted to make sure things worked out okay for this character, or that this other character got what was coming. For that reason, I can't really say that I enjoyed this book...it's not really a good feeling being so stressed out/emotional/worried about what you're reading.

I will say this, though - this book was very well written, and the author did an AMAZING job of making you FEEL things. I felt upset and distraught right along with Mel about everything that was happening to her. Outraged. My heart was pounding, I was having trouble sleeping because I was thinking about how awful everything was and how hopeless everything seemed. Then, during Abi's chapters (it's told through alternating POVs), I wouldn't necessarily sympathize with Abi, but I found myself kind of understanding her motivations (not at all approving of her actions though).

Overall, though, this book was just really, really hard for me. It's not one I ever want to read again, and not one that I would necessarily recommend to others (without a fair dose of warnings, anyway). The way that Abi so coldly sought revenge against Mel by destroying her life (and also by almost destroying Mel's son's future) was just so...awful.

And, to make it worse, the epilogue is told through Abi's POV. And, though I wouldn't necessarily say it was a redemption chapter, it sure felt like that - which I didn't like. With everything she put this poor family through, why should her happily-ever-after be what we end with? And there was no satisfying moment of horror, of recognition of how awful she had been, how wrong she was. She was at peace with everything, still so self-assured and smug. Sure, she recognized that maybe she'd gone about things poorly, but it's okay - she got exactly what she wanted in the end, damn the consequences and the people she (almost) destroyed along the way.

I don't mean to trash this book - like I said, it's very well written, incredibly gripping and moving, and really sucks you in and makes you feel real emotions. However, for me, I just didn't enjoy that feeling of stress, of everything falling apart. It was just a little too much. And, even though everything was more or less okay in the end, it just wasn't really that satisfying after the emotional ringer we'd been put through. I guess I needed something more.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Mira for providing me with a free advance review copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.*

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39752831-i-invited-her-in

this story is about two women and their troubled friendship. their story is told in different point of views and reveals throughout the book.
mel is a loving and caring mother with likeable flaws whereas abi is the highflying business woman; but the higher they rise the deeper the fall..
during the story there is quite a lot of drama going on, sometimes i thought that it was a touch too much.
nethertheless i found the end of the book very rounded up and satisfying!

tank you #netgalley for this arc!

I found this book a bit hard to get into . It was very predictable . It moved very slow for me when I like a fast paced book.

I Invited Her In is just not quite there as a novel. It wants to be a psychological thriller, but neither the psychological nor the thriller aspects work. It also wants to be a women's fiction novel, with insights into family, single motherhood, and friendships. The family stuff is beyond obvious, the single motherhood aspects feel like they are from the 1960s or something when it comes to the "shaming" one of the MC's goes through, and sure, every friendship is complicated, but when your "friend" starts showing signs that she's gone off the rails (Hi, Abi!) maybe you don't keep trying to make things okay? Maybe you, I don't know, get a restraining order?

Anyway. Mel and Abi were friends at university. Abi was the girl everyone wanted to be and Mel discovered she was pregnant and left school to have a baby. And while Mel is now settled in a comfortable middle class life, complete with great husband who loves her son even though he isn't the father and more kids and etc. she's intrigued to hear from Abi, who has been living the Instagram ready life in LA, and has just left her husband, the university bad boy everyone wanted but she got.

Mel invites Abi to stay with her for a few days to catch up and is enthralled by Abi all over again. Abi seems so nice, except for all the catty remarks and wait?? Could she possibly have another reason for being there? Could it do with her divorce? How could Mel possibly tie in to that?

So yeah, I Invited Her In isn't quite there because it uses a sledgehammer when a feather would do, meaning its obvious and tired. And irritating, as I am not a fan of the woman-gets-revenge-after-a-man-does-her-wrong-by-hurting-another-woman-but-not-the-man thing.

Dream like Amy Dunne, baby.

Thank you HARLEQUIN - MIRA and NetGalley fro the ARC.

Semi-Predictable but enjoyable...

I definitely could see where part of this the plot of this was going but I still enjoyed the book. If you are looking for a good paced read and don't mind not being "shocked" by a twist I would check this out.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Netgalley.com and the publisher Harlequin - Mira. Thanks to both for the opportunity to read and review.

This book was a test of endurance. Outlandish and ridiculous situations that were completely unbelievable. Who in their right mind invites someone they haven't spoken to in 20 years to stay at their home?? I barely finished this book.

If you must, put this book at the bottom of your reading pile.

1 out of 5 stars. Do not recommend.

Mel's long lost friend, Abi, suddenly makes contact with her out of the blue and so Abi invites her to stay with them...indefinitely. What follows is a tale of intrigue, jealousy and, ultimately, revenge.

I have read a few of Adele Parks' books now, and all of the usual things I enjoy were present in I Invited Her In - the build up, the excitement and the twists and turns. However, I do feel that elements of this story were just a little far fetched to be believable. Some of the reactions of Mel and her husband, Ben, to Abi's behaviour and the events that occur just didn't seem like the normal reactions of average people.

Having said that, the captivating storyline and pace of the book meant I was still enthralled from beginning to end.

This was a very weird read for me. I ultimately enjoyed it and and found the story line interesting and the characters pretty great, but it was a very slow read. I felt like it was a bit too drawn out and took too long to get anywhere. I am a huge fan of thrillers and have read a ton, but this just didn’t fit the category for me. I would read another book from this author though, although I wouldn’t trust the genre classification.

EXCERPT: Suddenly I have a better idea. Or, is it a worse one?

I could invite Abi to come and see me here in Wolvney. That way she'd meet the kids and Ben. I've never had the urge for her to meet my family before, quite the opposite, but now she's made this move, and under these circumstances, it seems the right thing to do.

She probably won't accept anyway. I can't imagine her coming all this way out of London. Not that it's far, but there are certain types that think anywhere out of zone three is abroad. Is she that type? I won't know unless I invite her.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: When Mel hears from a long-lost friend in need of help, she doesn’t hesitate to invite her to stay. Mel and Abi were best friends back in the day, sharing the highs and lows of student life, until Mel’s unplanned pregnancy made her drop out of her studies.

Now, seventeen years later, Mel and Abi’s lives couldn’t be more different. Mel is happily married, having raised her son on her own before meeting her husband, Ben. Now they share gorgeous girls and have a chaotic but happy family home, with three children.

Abi, meanwhile, followed her lover to LA for a glamorous life of parties, celebrity and indulgence. Everything was perfect, until she discovered her partner had been cheating on her. Seventeen years wasted, and nothing to show for it. So what Abi needs now is a true friend to lean on, to share her grief over a glass of wine, and to have some time to heal. And what better place than Mel’s house, with her lovely kids, and supportive husband…

MY THOUGHTS: I wanted to love this book. It started out fun and gossipy. . . Old friends catching up after years apart, with a slightly darker undertone so that you just know that not everything is quite what it seems. And it isn't. But neither did it go where I expected it to. All good. I have no issues with the plot which is devious and twisted.

The issue I have is with the verbosity of the author. This is a very long book, maybe not in actual page count, but it took an extremely long time to tell this story, and a whole six days to read it. And things were over explained. The characters motivations were gone into in such detail that, at times, I lost the thread of what was actually happening. It didn't happen just once either, it happened repeatedly to the point where I was tempted, at times, to skip a few pages.

This should have been a suspenseful read but it well and truly missed the mark.

And I know that I said that this seemed like a long book but, at the same time, the ending felt rushed and somewhat unsatisfying. . .

This was a ☺☺.5-star read. I was going to award ☺☺☺ purely because the plot wasn't totally predictable, but on reflection my original rating will stand.

THE AUTHOR: Adele Parks was born in Teesside, NE England. She studied English Language and Literature, at Leicester University. She published her first novel, Playing Away, in 2000; that year the Evening Standard identified Adele as one of London’s ‘Twenty Faces to Watch.’ Indeed Playing Away was the debut bestseller of 2000.
Prolific, Adele has published nine novels in nine years, including Game Over, Tell Me Something and Love Lies, all nine of her novels have been bestsellers. She’s sold over a million copies of her work in the UK but also sells throughout the world. Two of her novels (Husbands and Still Thinking of You) are currently being developed as movie scripts. Young Wives’ Tales was short listed for the Romantic Novelist Association Award 2008. She has written numerous articles and short stories for many magazines and newspapers and often appears on radio and TV talking about her work.
Since 2006 Adele has been an official spokeswoman for World Book Day and wrote a Quick Read, Happy Families as part of the celebrations of World Book Day, 2008.
Adele has spent her adult life in Italy, Botswana and London, up until two years ago when she moved to Guildford, where she now lives with her husband and son.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harlequin Mira (US & Canada) via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of I Invited Her In by Adele Parks for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

3.5 Stars

I Invited Her In by Adele Parks is a thriller that is quite a head trip. The book is an interesting look at families and friendship. It is a fairly enjoyable read, although the main character is not one that I find relatable.

It is always hard to review a thriller because so much can be given away about the plot. I Invited Her In starts off with what seems as a typical rekindling of a friendship. As the story progresses, however, it becomes quite clear that Abi and Mel ‘s relationship is not as it appears.

❀ INTERESTING FAMILY DYNAMICS

One aspect that is really interesting to read about in the novel are the dynamics of Mel’s family. Parks created a believable and intriguing blended family that the reader can feel right at home with. As their houseguest stays for much longer than anticipated, the strain on the family is one that is identifiable to anyone who has been in a similar situation.

At first, I found Mel to be a fun and compelling character. However, when the plot starts to thicken, I found myself not able to connect with her at all. Her actions just don’t feel typical of the character that Parks developed in the beginning.

❀ INTRIGUING CONCEPT

The concept of I Invited Her In is very intriguing. I found the theme of family that Parks explored to be very entertaining. However, the main character is quite hard to make a connection with due to her actions.

Thank you for letting me review this book early.
This book was right up my alley, family drama and suspense. Fast paced easy read. Great character development. Really enjoyed.

This was a good suspenseful family drama set in London that had a good fast paced plot that kept me guessing till the end . I felt the characters were well fleshed out and believable. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book