I Invited Her In
3.4
7
5
1
Paperback(Original)
USD
14.44
$14.44
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780778369219 |
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| Publisher: | MIRA Books |
| Publication date: | 02/05/2019 |
| Edition description: | Original |
| Pages: | 432 |
| Sales rank: | 34,836 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.80(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.40(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
I Invited Her In
3.4 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
7 reviews.
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This was just OK for me. The writing was fine, though the pace was a bit slower than I expected for a thriller. The plot was a bit predictable and underwhelming. I have never read a book by this author before, although I am aware that she has written many books. Perhaps, her style of writing just doesn't jive with me. Compared to other thrillers that I have read, this book just didn't have anything that it made it stand out above the rest.
This would be a good read for somebody who enjoys thrillers with a slower pace, or who enjoys Adele Parks' writing style. Personally, this one just wasn't for me.
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Fairly predictable suspense thriller that gets better as it goes along. The ending is trite and not true to the story but still an interesting and imaginative read.
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I had high hopes for this book, as I LOVE thrillers. While this one did eventually get pretty thrilling, it was a LONG time coming. If it was not an ARC, I probably would have just put it down. I am glad I didn't though, as it did have a decent twist. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher!
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I Invited Her In by Adele Parks is a recommended thriller.
Melanie Harrison is surprised to receive an email from her university friend Abigail Curtiz. They haven't been in contact with each other since 1999 when Mel became pregnant with her son after a one-night-stand and dropped out of school. Seventeen years have passed and now Mel is happily married to Ben, and living in Wolvney, England, with their three children. Abi sends her an email explaining that she is in the midst of a contentious divorce and is returning to the UK after living in America. Abi is a minor TV personality who interviews celebrities for a living, so Mel is surprised that she doesn't have other friends to contact.
Mel ends up inviting Abi to come and stay indefinitely with her family and is shocked and surprised when Abi accepts. Once Abi arrives, Mel is consumed and infatuated with her every whim. Soon it becomes quite clear to everyone but Mel that Abi does not mean well to Mel or her family. Abi's stay is without an end point and the family is beginning to crack under the strain of hosting this demanding guest.
First, the opening premise requires that the reader set aside a healthy dose of disbelief. For me it remained ludicrous throughout the novel and required a conscious effort to believe that anyone would invite a famous someone they hadn't seen for years to come and stay indefinitely in their modest home just because she showed some support for her years ago. Sure, I'd exchange emails, maybe meet them somewhere for coffee, but I would never invite them to stay for however long. That is stupid. Mel's instant devotion to someone she really was never that close to is odd.
Now, after you manage to set that huge MacGuffin aside, Parks does get kudos for creating tension and suspense as the narrative switched perspectives between Mel, Abi, and Ben. The narrative is a bit padded, but the plot is intriguing. Neither Mel nor Abi are likeable characters, but if you read thrillers and enjoy predicting plot developments, you'll keep reading to see if your predictions are right. (You will be correct, btw.) Continuing to read the story will be based on how engaged you are in seeing lives disintegrate and plans for revenge take place.
There are some nice details and emotional insights about raising children and marriage. This isn't an awful book, but it is predictable. In spite of my lack of surprises over any plot twists, I was engaged with the plot, even if it was just to see the train wreck I knew had to be coming at the end and I wasn't disappointed.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of MIRA Books
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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.
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I loved The Stranger In My Home and couldn't wait to read this. The book was a bit of a rollercoaster. It's an interesting and enjoyable read without dull or boring moments. I can't remember reading a thriller with that many turns and lies. As a reader you sit and stare at the pages and wonder what to believe. Adele Parks managed the navigation through this turbulence very well.
Ms. Parks is a master at creating tension and writing excellent characters, and I Invited Her In is no exception. So much creepiness, so many themes to talk about, so many well-written (some unlikeable) characters. The two narratives worked well for me, I loved delving into the psyche of each woman.
The author did amazing job of drip feeding the important information and the clues to the big reveal throughout the story through mini revels and through characters revealing things to one another and I am just in awe of the way she writes and the way she structures her novels. So clever and just so gripping. Just like her last novel, this one had me holding my breath and gasping at regular intervals throughout the book.
We have some classic unreliable narrators but we also have some characters who are much more difficult to work out and keep you intrigued right up until the last page. I wouldn't say I particularly warmed to any of the characters, but boy was I obsessed with finding out more about every single one of these characters, what made them tick and how they fitted into the story. They are people you know, people you recognise from everyday life, they are your neighbours! Characters we can all relate to is just something else which this author excels at!
To say this book was a thriller, there isn't a lot of gore or violence in it, there are definitely moments that make the reader uncomfortable and moments that lead you down a path you never saw coming. This is definitely a slow burn but the short chapters will mean you will continue to turn those pages way past your bedtime. Some of the ways things that seem trivial are connected to the story are just mind-blowing and I am just in awe of how cleverly written this novel is. It was refreshing to read a book that focuses on women and conversations two friends might really have.
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Thank you so much to Harlequin-Mira and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This is the kind of gripping thriller that I can never put down. I have never read anything by Adele Parks but this book instantly sucked me in and I couldn't stop reading.
This book is about best friends Mel and Abi that share everything and are more like sisters than friends. While in school Mel ends up pregnant from a one night stand and has to drop out. That changes everything for the two girls and they drift apart. Fast forward seventeen years and Mel is now married with three children and Abi is married to Rob and living the life of luxury, until Abi finds her husband in bed with his personal assistant. Abi reaches out to Mel to tell her she's coming home and Mel invites her to stay with her family and recover from it all. Now Mel is wondering who this girl she knew so well years ago really is and isn't ready for how life changing it would be when she invited her in.
I love how this book was told from the different characters mainly Mel and Abi. You got to hear the story from two different perspectives and I really enjoyed that. I did think that Abi used Mel as almost a doormat and walked all over Mel and I got a little irritated that Mel just let it happen because it's her old friend. I also felt bad for Ben since he pretty much got sidelined and ignored once Abi was back in the picture.
I do plan on reading more books by Adele Parks since I devoured this one so fast!
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