Adele Parks’ ‘Both of You’ considers what happens when someone chooses bigamy as their preferred lifestyle. The story is fluently written and Parks constructs both domestic set-ups convincingly. I can easily picture husband Daan’s shiny minimalist penthouse flat and husband Mark’s family home in Balham. The woman at the centre of their lives is equally adept at playing the devoted wife and step-mother and the entertaining sophisticate. In setting up her story in this way, the author is reminding us that everyone has different aspects to their personalities and some will come to the fore more than others because of our particular circumstances.
When ‘Kai’ and ‘Leigh’ are reported missing simultaneously, investigating police officer DC Clements joins the dots to discover that these are one and the same woman. She is determined not to write this off as another ‘runaway wife’ story. As she reminds the reader, ‘Every week, two women in Britain die because of violence in their home…She’d understand riots, venting anger and frustration at that statistic. There are none of these things…’ The author is certainly tapping into the zeitgeist through Clements' comments and attitude.
Whilst Parks writes fluently and plots her thriller effectively, this novel disappoints overall. It’s not difficult to guess who is punishing Kylie - Kai/Leigh – geddit? However, it is extremely difficult to imagine just how the perpetrator manages to kidnap their victim and organise all that comes after. Could they really get away with it? Where is the sassy, sharp DC Clements when we need her?
My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

I am big fan of Adele Parks and loved this book from beginning to end. I like the fact all her books and narrative are different and keep you intrigued. Loved all the drama and tension, certainly one you can’t put down.

It is funny how the author threw in the covid storyline to the plot. I did think it was irrelevant though and unnecessary. The story was good overall but definitely not the author’s best. The twists were just not as surprising to me.

This was described as an “ambitious, nail biting” read by Louise Candlish. As “chilling, gripping and entirely unputdownable” by Lisa Jewell. As “Sizzling” by Jane Corry.

Did I read something else!?

I ask because, to me, this whole novel was tedious, predictable, and boring. I guessed what was going on a third of the way in (really, there were so many clues!) and then had to make my way through what felt like endless (and endlessly dull) internal monologues, just to confirm my suspicions.

This was... not a satisfying read. It wasn’t ‘sizzling’ in the least. It wasn’t chilling. Or ambitious. And my nails? They’re all intact.

Entertaining and deliciously dark with finely crafted characters, this was a great read which was a real page turner.

Whilst it was relatively easy to work out where the plot was going, the way the story unfolded was brilliantly written, although the addition of Covid brought nothing into the story and just seemed a bit of a side-thought.

Highly recommended.

This is such a good book!! I raced through it even though I wanted to make it last and I am actually breathless.

Both of You is twisted, dark, compelling, captivating, gritty and so, so terrifying. It's believable and that makes it scary. Everything about this book is stellar!

Adele Parks' best book yet!!

I was unable to put the novel down, until I had finished it, it is such a page turner, as was the last book I read by Adele Parks. Leigh is tied up and chained when she wakes up, not knowing where she is. The story moves on from there, and I do not think I should reveal too much, for fear of spoilers, but Leigh or Kylie as she is sometimes known has been leading a double life. The reader will have to read it to go further, but that should be easy, with a compulsive page turner like this.

Leigh is reported missing by her husband Mark when she fails to return from a business trip. DC Clements is already concerned when another woman, Kai Janssen is also reported missing. What is going on? Will they return to their husbands?

I’ve read all of Adele Parks books and this one is equally as well written and paced as the others. Where this story falls short for me is that all the characters are distinctly unlikeable. I guessed the first twist very early on and I’d worked out the villain too. I did rather like the ending though!

I didn’t feel setting the book at the onset of Covid-19 added anything particular to the story and I’d rather it hadn’t been included. We’re still living it and reading is escapism where I don’t need reminders! If it had been integral to the plot, then that would be one thing, but the inclusion simply dates the book in my opinion.

Not my favourite of this authors works, but it’s a gripping story. I’m still a fan and I’ll definitely continue to read her books! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

I have read most of the novels by Adele Parks and love them. This is no exception and I think this is up there as one of her best. I couldn’t put it down.

Leigh Fletcher is married to Mark and loves him and her two stepsons, who lost their biological mother to cancer. She appears to work hard for a management consultancy firm, as Mark runs a landscape gardening company, trying to ensure everyone is happy. She faces difficulties with the oldest son who is at the age where he is rebelling. When she doesn’t return from a work as expected Mark is sure something bad has happened. Fiona, Leigh’s best friend, helps out with the family and tries to help them through the crisis.

Kai Jannsen, married to Daan, lives with him in a luxury apartment and seems to have it all. She doesn’t need to work, and they live an affluent lifestyle. When Kai doesn’t return from visiting her mother in Newcastle Daan becomes concerned.

Both husbands report their wives missing to the police and DC Clements begins to investigate the disappearances as they are only a few days apart. Her boss tells her she is wasting her time.

Great plotting and clever characterisations throughout with a few bombshells which had been astute crafted.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HQ General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers and Adele Parks for my Arc of Both of You in return for my honest review.

Excellent read and highly recommended

Duplicity and lies is the name of the game with this book. Can we really have it all? An intriguing read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

This book has all the makings of a television series! The plot is carefully constructed, populated with credible characters and full of surprises. Kai and Leigh both go missing to the distress of their husbands. Leigh’s disappearance causes particular problems as she is the loved stepmother of two boys. The other husband, Dutchman Daan, has a very different lifestyle. A review cannot say any more than that without revealing too much. As the story developes, frequent bombshells are dropped in the reader’s lap. That ensures uninterrupted reading! Exceedingly well written, full of tension and conflict, this is a winner. I recommend it.

As always this author does domestic darkness really well - and loved the detail. I found Kylie slightly hard to sympathise with and I did guess Fiona was behind her disappearance and I found it frustrating that the ending felt a bit rushed. But the writing was as pacey as ever and her characterisation and descriptive passages were excellent.

I have read a few of Adele Park's books and found them all very entertaining. This one is no exception. Her characters are not likable but the plots are well-paced and gripping. The story is not really believable and the resolution and twist at the end is predictable, but I stayed up half the night reading it!

Leigh Fletcher loves her husband Mark and her two step sons. Mark knows she would never willingly leave them. He is convinced something has happened to her. DC Clements is sent to look into her alleged disappearance but can’t find any reason to believe there’s been foul play. A few days later, she is sent to deal with Daan Jannsen, who is reporting his wife, Kai missing. Again the husband is convinced she wouldn’t just leave him. DC Clements begins to feel there could be a connection between the two disappearances only a few days apart, but her boss isn’t convinced they are even missing.

This is an interesting read. You start off being a bit sorry for Leigh, a second wife, step mum to two growing boys who are beginning to test boundaries, but as the story goes on opinions begin to change. Mark should have been easy to like but he seems all surface nicety with dark and brooding moods that make him more a villain than a victim. Kai appears to have it all, lives for the moment and appears to be living her best life. Daan is obsessed with her but I still couldn’t really empathise with him. The writing as always is excellent, the story gets darker the longer it goes on. The relationships of the two couples is complex, yet both seem superficial at times. I liked the twists, even though I worked them out fairly early on. However the ending was still unexpected. Worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What a twisted read! I’ve never read a book by this author before but I definitely will be checking out more of her books after reading this one.

I went from feeling bad for Leigh to disliking her. The same with Kai. I was quite shocked when I thought I’d figured out who had done it but the author kept me second guessing and twisting the plot until I was left mouth gaping. The ending is left quite open so we can decide what comes next for ourselves. I loved this! I questioned everything and everyone as I was reading it. The author did a marvellous job of confusing me so I had no idea who was the bad character or characters.

My recommendation is to go into this one totally blind! Five stars from me!

ARC kindly provided by Netgalley.

Adele Parks is one author that I have never got around to reading and I don’t really understand why. ‘Both of You’ is a genuine page turner and I read it very quickly as I wanted to know what was going to happen. Good characters, addictive plot and plenty of suspense. I did actually guess the ending but I didn’t see that a a negative thing.

The happily married mother and stepmother Leigh Fletcher goes missing leaving her two boys and husband Mark devastated. That same week a wealthy Dutch businessman Kai Janssen reports his wife has also gone missing. Both men are shell shocked.

DC Clements is investigating and is suspicious of two women living completely different lives going missing in the very same week. Are they connected, DC Clements suspects they maybe.

This was a very good thriller and I am already looking for the next Adele Parks book to read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Set in London in late March 2020, the country is starting to go into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic when two married women mysteriously disappear, leaving their partners distraught and a case for PC Clements to investigate which becomes increasingly puzzling and suspicious. I found this whodunit quite entertaining but overly implausible.

I was very excited to read a new book by Adele Parks, and this one had a great story. However, I found the book much less compelling than her other novels. All the main characters were completely unappealing, which made it hard to care about them. I quickly guessed the plot, and the whole thing felt a bit half-hearted. Even the references to Covid felt a bit forced. I hope the author's next book is back up to her usual standard.

Both Leigh and kai happily married living in London both go missing in the same week is this just a coincidence!

Well this kept me hooked all the way though, I was totally invested into the lives of Leigh and Kai.

I really enjoy Adele's books they never let you down, gripping with a fantastic ending.

Highly recommended
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Phew – I’m drained! I enjoyed this book right from the start, but when it got to a third of the way through it REALLY kicked off. I haven’t read an Adele Parks novel before this one, but it certainly won’t be my last. What a sensational writer! I love it when you just know a story is going to be good, and you do absolutely nothing else until you’ve finished reading it. I don’t repeat book descriptions – you must have read it otherwise you wouldn’t be reading the reviews. All I want to know when I read a review is ‘How good was it/were you gripped/was it exciting/did it keep you guessing/was it well written?’ The answer to all those is ‘Yes!’. The writing was amazing (raunchy in places), and so was the idea behind the story. The characters were so well described that you felt you knew them all personally. I had sympathy and empathy for them all (except for one), and the ending was a complete shock (sort of!). I was a tad disappointed that everything wasn’t exactly ‘wrapped up’ - you’ll know what I mean when you read it – but it didn’t spoil the experience at all. So many twists and turns and heart-wrenching moments. Just fabulous!