I Invited Her In by Adele Parks 

My review

I read this book in one sitting, once I'd picked it up, I just couldn't put it back down again. I was utterly gripped with Mel and Abi's story. 

When Mel was at university, she and Abi were best friends. Abi was the only one who supported Mel when she fell pregnant after a one night stand. But when Mel dropped out of university, they drifted apart. Mel's life as a single mum was all about her baby boy, he became the centre of her universe. Abi on the other hand, married her boyfriend and moved to LA, where built a successful career in television. Mel's life was full of dirty nappies and baby food, whereas Abi was attending celebrity parties and living a life of luxury. 

Seventeen years later, Mel and her son Liam are part of a loving family, she has married the gorgeous Ben and they have two beautiful daughters together. Unexpectedly, she receives an email from Abi, who is heartbroken and homeless because her husband has been cheating on her,  she is coming back to the UK and needs a friend. Mel extends an open invitation to her once best friend, and welcomes her into her family home.

Now all this sounds lovely, long lost friends reunite and reminisce about their younger years, but things are about to take a dark turn, Abi may not be all that she seems, and Mel has opened up her family to devastation and pain. I Invited Her In is a story of revenge, of twisted jealousy and unimaginable malice. With each chapter it picks up pace and leaves the reader anxiously wondering what the next page will bring. 

Adele Parks makes you care about her characters, you become invested in their lives and their choices and find yourself emotionally connected to them. You smile with them, cry with them and rage with them. I felt Mel's happiness , I paced the floor with her, I blushed and giggled with her, I felt her excitement and her anguish. 

I loved the emotional rollercoaster this book took me on and am looking forward to reading more books by this brilliant author. 

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.