I was really looking forward to reading I Invited Her In. I had high hopes for this book. Sadly, I think I am in the minority when I say I really didn't care for the book. I was on board at the start, but I had major issues with the plot as the story went on. Mainly with who gets seduced in the house. It just really turned me off of the book completely. I wasn't expecting that. In addition, I found the book slow and predictable. I figured out a major twist very early on. In this instance, I think it's just a case of "not for me". The book has received good reviews, so I do recommend that you check it out and try it for yourself.

This is a domestic thriller that features two old college friends. One whose husband cheats, and the other who invites her old friend to stay with her family.

I don't enjoy giving poor reviews, so I will start with the good.
This book was fairly quick paced. I did not find myself getting bored. The author's writing style is very engrossing, and I would absolutely consider reading another of their books. Both of the main characters have secrets. I had trouble trusting any of the characters in this book, which I consider to be a major plus - I love it when an author knows how to keep me guessing.

The bad:
This book was.... a little icky actually. You find out pretty early on that the friend from out of town is dating someone young. Very young. And I just found that to be a little unsettling.
In spite of the unreliable narrators, I found this book to be a bit too predictable for my taste. There were a few major twists that I saw coming a lot sooner than I would have preferred.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a non-scary, slightly predictable thriller, assuming they are comfy with a relationship with an icky age difference.

*I apologize for the repeated use of the word "icky" it just felt really fitting in this instance

I must admit, I was slightly underwhelmed by this book. I’d probably give it a 2 1/2 rather than a 3 unfortunately :( I was rather excited about this book after reading the blurb, however it was just too predictable for my liking and lacked sparkle. I also just didn’t reallt warm to any of the characters either, sorry!

This is my first Adele Parks novel and although I enjoyed it I have to say it did take me awhile to really get into it. I found it to be slow in about the first half of the book but once you get past that part and you really get to see how manipulative Abi is it really draws you in and then you can't put the novel down.

I invited her in instantly drew me in because of the title, I have really been into domestic psychological thrillers and this is exactly what this is.

This book was a fun and thrilling read that was full of lies, secrets, unreliable friendships, betrayal and ultimately jealousy and revenge. The characters were well planned as well as the plot and it was well written so after reading this I will be reading more from Adele parks.

So good!!!! I saw so many glowing reviews for this book and they were all spot on!

Adler Parks is new to me and she didn't disappoint at all. This book really is for everyone. Mel and Abi's friendship is all of. They're friends reconnecting after one friends been dealt a bad hand. Mel invites her in, and the choice proves to be not such a great one.

Every one is trying to have a hit thriller and it keeps raising the bar and Adele Parks rose to the challenge. This was a page turner, intriguing and a reminder that you cant have what isn't
yours.

I Invited Her In by Adele Parks is a disturbing look at guilt, remorse, revenge and resentment. It follows the life of Mel and her family and the disfunction that occurs when a long lost friend reappears.

I enjoyed reading this book and found it easy to follow. The characters were all very interesting and I felt myself feeling everything that the main character Mel felt. The loneliness, the mistrust and the disbelief - I felt them all. Such a crazy ride!

I would recommend this to lovers of psychological thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I am grateful to have received an advanced copy of I Invited Her In
By Netgalley.
I have always enjoyed Adele Parks’ yet I am at a loss for words with this one. This is a mystery, domestic thriller of friendship, betrayal, secrets, all which kept me engaged yet so many feelings got evoked and so many holes in the storyline.

Abi and Mel are college friends who parted ways in college when Mel had a baby. Mel gets an email from Abi after 20 years due to Abi’s husband cheating on her and so Mel invites her friend to stay at her house with her husband, son and two daughters.

The friendship is hard to imagine. Mel is happily married and a good mother but all her rules change when this woman comes to visit and all of a sudden we see this insecure woman in Mel. People change but how does one person have so much of an impact on someone?

Questions begin to surface as to what happened to the friendship and why after all this time does she enter into her life again. There was no fight that ended the friendship and as close as two friends could be in college to not talk to one another after all these years is bizarre. The story had some twists and predictable occurrences. It was long winded and raised questions of what would you do if this happened to you? Some things did not make sense and felt forced. I really can’t say I enjoyed this story because of how farfetched things turned out.

The author wrote a thriller that started with a bang and just kept going! The twists kept coming, so I couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

What a good book! Although a little predictable at times, I found myself very excited to keep reading this because this author has a good way of sucking you into the story. The characters were solid and the plot was very good, all in all I would totally recommend this book!

I loved this book. The premise of the story was good; Mel is contacted by her long-lost friend who is recently separated from her husband of seventeen years, and on a wave of nostalgia she invites her to stay for as long as she wants to. The characters are interesting; Mel and Abi were best university pals until Mel fell pregnant and dropped out of her course whilst Abi marries her uni sweetheart and heads off with him to the US to live the high life as a rich socialite and celebrity. The relationships are very psychological, with the characters' motives for their behaviour very gradually revealed, bit by bit until Mel's happily married, family life becomes increasingly tense and fraught with emotional angst. I truly couldn't put this book down, and once finished I felt its loss, both indicators of a very good read!
A full five stars for 'I Invited Her In.'

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.
Adele Parks is an excellent writer and her story telling is fantastic. She captivates her readers 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 from the start.

Thank you netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I Invited Her in is a compelling story about friendship , lies and secrets . I really enjoy ref this book , especially the well though out characters and complex story . This one left me guessing until the very end !

I don't even know if there is a word to describe Abi. Terrible, evil, and others I can think of just don't seem to be dark enough. And Mel? Well Mel was kind of a doormat in that she even ignored her husband's wishes and allowed Abi to stay and stay and stay.....

While I enjoyed this book, there were things I think could have been done better. The story did tend to drag a bit and at one point, I was wondering how many more scenes of Abi walking all over Mel we'd see before Mel's husband up and threw her out.

There were some very graphic descriptions of sexual related things that may bother some people. I wouldn't have been disturbed had one of the main characters been slightly older. That bothered me and while I realize things are looked at differently in the UK as to how they are here, it did bother me.

Mel and Ben did seem to be rather permissive and ultimately I think that is what led to their downfall.

This is definitely a good read and I will look for more work by this author in future. I just think parts could have been cut out to make the story move quicker.

Thank you very much to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request for an ARC. My thoughts in this review are my own.

3.5 stars

I Invited Her In by Adele Parks is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harlequin-MIRA, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.



My Synopsis:
Two girls, best friends in university. They lost touch. It’s been 17 years.

Abigail marries Rob, her university heart-throb, and goes on to be a television star in the U.S., with her director husband. Dream job, dream home, dream travel destinations, exotic parties and glamour. The only thing missing are children…and a faithful husband.

Melanie doesn’t finish university. She got pregnant and raised her son Liam on her own until she found Ben, who loved her and Liam equally. They married and have two more children. Their home is a little messy, and perhaps not very glamorous, but it is filled with love.

Abigail reaches out to Melanie when her marriage ends. Melanie opens her arms to embrace her old friend. She also opens her home and her family...to a nightmare. An open-ended visit which quickly goes awry, but its a long time til Melanie sees the truth.



My Opinions:
Okay, I started by not liking this book at all. It seems there are so many of these books out there…two or three old friends re-unite and their secrets explode. Secrets, betrayals and lies. While this book followed the pattern, and was quite predictable, it had a little something else. Really good writing. It also had a twist I didn’t see coming (not the last one, which was expected).

I really didn’t like either of the two central characters. One was just a conniving "B", and the other a passive, weak woman. My opinions didn’t really change throughout the book…which seemed very long.

Once I hit the halfway mark, things picked up...but a little late.

Overall, the book was okay.

Mel and Abi are best friends in university and having the time of their lives. But Mel gets pregnant from a one night stand and drops out of school to raise her son Liam. From there their lives proceed very differently. After struggling as a single mom, Mel meets Ben a very loving husband and has two daughters with him. Abi has married Rob the super cool, intelligent and handsome guy from their university days. They move to the States to be in the TV business. Life is great. Until Abi catches Robert cheating with another woman. Broken hearted she contacts her old friend Mel, even though it’s been seventeen years, and Mel invites her to stay at her house.
Sadly this book just didn’t do it for me. I found it way too long - although the writing was good. But it’s a story that’s been done before and to be honest the twists weren’t any big surprises for me. I didn’t even find Mel or Abi very likable so it was hard reading. Sorry I hate leaving negative reviews.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

My first Adele Parks novel and most certainly not my last! I happened upon this on NetGalley by chance, when browsing Psych Thrillers. When I read the description I knew I had to have it. I’m glad I did because wow! I read this in less than 24 hours! It was just that good.

Melanie’s character was a little iffy for me at first. She seemed kinda dull. But, the more I read, the more I was glad to get to know her character. Abigail, on the other, is one I loved to hate. I loved her so much for her role but I hated her so much, too. I love those kinds of characters.

The plot line was the best. Just when I thought I had it figured out, Parks would throw in something that left me jaw dropped and rethinking my own steps while reading this book. By the end, though, I was so glad with the gripping twists that she threw her readers!

This is definitely a keeper for me. Four stars, two thumbs and high praises to this new-to-me author. I am absolutely looking forward to going back and reading more of work. Well done, Ms. Parks!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review, positive or negative.*

This was the first book I had ever read by Adele Parks and I definitely wasn’t disappointed. The story was fast paced and I had it finished in less than two days. There was plenty of suspense and twists to keep me intrigued. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

This is a spotlight post that appeared on my blog with a cover photo and author photo. I choose from several books each month to post reviews. This one didn't make the final cut for review but was definitely worth mentioning on my blog. Thanks

I Invited Her In by Adele Parks



Publication Date:02/05/2019

Publisher: Harlequin

Imprint: MIRA

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 978-0778308850



(Received for an honest review from Harlequin MIRA via NetGalley)



Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Book Depository



Adele Parks on the WEB: Website,Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram





Excerpt from I Invited Her In, courtesy of Amazon's Look Inside feature



Synopsis:



Imagine the worst thing a friend could ever do.

This is worse.

When Mel receives an unexpected email from her oldest friend Abi, it brings back memories she thought she had buried forever. Their friendship belonged in the past. To those carefree days at university.

But Abi is in trouble and needs Mel’s help, and she wants a place to stay. Just for a few days, while she sorts things out. It’s the least Mel can do.

After all, friends look out for each other, don’t they?

I Invited Her In is a blistering tale of wanting what you can’t have, jealousy and revenge from Sunday Times bestseller Adele Parks.




About the Author:





Adele Parks one of the most-loved and biggest-selling women's fiction writers in the UK. She has sold over 3 million books and her work has been translated into 25 different languages.

1500+ 5 star reviews have kindly been written by her fans on Amazon.co.uk :-)

She has published 15 novels in the past 15 years, all of which have been London Times Top Ten Bestsellers.

Adele was born in the North East of England, in 1969. She enjoyed a traditional 1970's childhood, watching too much TV and eating convenience food because nobody minded if kids did that in those days. Since graduating from university, where she studied English Language and Literature, she worked in advertising and as a management consultant. In 2010 Adele was proud to be awarded an honorary doctorate of Letters from Teesside University.

I Invited Her In
By
Adele Parks


What it's all about...

So...the premise of this book is one of my worst nightmares. You invite an old friend to visit thinking that if she even comes it would be for a day or two or at the most a weekend. Two months later that friend is still there. She uses your bathroom, dresses inappropriately, smokes in your house, drinks all of your wine and rarely contributes anything. Not a meal, not a wash up not even on offer to make tea. This is Melanie and Abigail...Abigail being the visiting friend. Abigail causes upsets within Melanie’s family. Melanie’s husband wants Abigail to leave. He hints...he openly asks when she is leaving but Abigail ignores him. Melanie defends her and really doesn’t want her to leave in spite of the fact that this family’s home life has all but fallen apart. Then something absolutely unthinkable happens. Melanie finally sees her friend for the person she really is...but is it too late?

Why I wanted to read it...

The cover plus the title plus the synopsis of this book made me really want to read it.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

Whenever Melanie was just so happy to go out with Abigail, to renew her friendship with Abigail and to do fun girl things with Abigail...I could sense something sinister in Melanie. Melanie was so taken with Abi that she just couldn’t see any faults even when her husband clearly pointed them out to her. This made me want to scream at Melanie to open her eyes to her friend’s selfishness!

Why you should read it, too...

I literally could not put this book down. It was tense and exciting and the more I read the more I strongly disliked both women. Melanie for her weak attitude and blind adoration of Abi and Abi because I knew she was up to something that was not going to be very nice...and all of this is stemming from a 17 year old event that happened when they were both at University. If this kind of drama appeals to you...you will love this book.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read and review it.


Sent from my iPad

Melanie (Mel) Harrison has just received an email from her old friend Abigail (Abi) Curtiz with whom she went to university. Mel is married to Ben and the mother of Liam, age 17, Imogen, age 8, and Lily, age 6. Mel had been a single mother to Liam until she met Ben when her son was 5. Mel insists that she only knew the first name of Liam’s father and, thus, he was never a part of his life.

Abi had fallen in love with Rob Larsen when she was in university and he was studying for his PhD. He was 7 years older than her. After going together for some time, they married. They have had successful careers in television in the U.S. Now, they are divorcing because Abi found him with another woman. Abi asks to visit Mel and catch up and she agrees. Thinking Abi won’t stay long, her visit seems to be for an indefinite length of time. However, they enjoy catching up.

As Abi’s visit continues, tension builds between Mel and Ben. Entertaining Abi seems to take priority over being with family and getting things done. In addition, she tends to drink more which really aggravates Ben and their marriage becomes strained.

But things escalate and when the real reason for Abi’s visit comes out, Mel’s world starts to fall apart. How can she get her family back together?

This is a great book. The first part of it is a bit slow but it builds to a stunning conclusion. While it doesn’t seem to fall into the true classification of a thriller, it is indeed a fabulous read. Don’t miss it!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.