Find the hottest teen books, connect with your favorite YA authors and meet new friends who share your reading interests! Lucy stole her friend Rose’s ‘happily ever after’ because she wanted Rose’s husband and Lucy always gets what she wants. Big mistake. Rose was the ideal wife and is the ideal mother; Lucy was the perfect mistress. Now neither can find domestic bliss playing each others’ roles. As such, she is less than enthused when someone comes to her door and tells her that the teenage girl she raised isn’t hers. Fifteen years ago, Allison’s baby was taken from the hospital by someone else. Like all Adele Parks books this was incredibly well written and intricately thought out. Questions were answered before my brain even contemplated them and the characters and locations were vividly portrayed. I had a few suspicions about the conclusion but it still left me unable to put this dramatic thriller down. Both women disappear around the same time. Could the disappearance of these two women, who are so different, be related?

Both of You is the perfect novel for me to recommence book blogging with, after all as any regular/previous readers of my blog will know, Adele Parks is my absolute favourite author.

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

The elements that were actually thrilling were when you're able to predict what's going to happen next. I do like it when a mystery surprises me, and WOMAN LAST SEEN by Adele Parks did that, although not in a manner I would have expected. This twisty thriller was engrossing and I was keen to see how the story would conclude. With a range of narrative perspectives, it was interesting to see how the disappearances and their investigations unfold. Leigh Fletcher is a happily married wife and stepmother to two boys. She goes to work on a Monday and doesn't return. That includes themes of love, parenting, honesty, and family. People, regardless of the times they lived, struggle with the same problems. For that reason, Adele is certain in the ability of her books to appeal to the sensibilities of readers in a variety of age ranges.

As always with Adele Parks this is an absolutely gripping read' Richard Osman, No. 1 bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club Adele Parks comes from Teesside in North-East England. That is where she was born in 1969. As a child of the 70s and 80s, Adele’s life was pretty ordinary. She watched way too much television, and her unhealthy diet left a lot to be desired.

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Adele attributes her considerable visibility to her chatty persona. She is also fairly opinionated. As such, while many of her peers in the publishing arena would rather disappear behind a computer, Adele is out in public making her voice heard. During her career Adele has lived in Italy, Botswana and London. Now she lives happily in Surrey, UK with her husband, son and cat. Two women from very different worlds go missing in the same week. Happily married step mum, Leigh Fletcher vanishes on a Monday morning, and then Kai Janssen, married to wealthy Dutch businessman, Daan disappears. DC Clements investigates.

Overall, the author's character development was strong and the book's storyline was fast-paced and intriguing -- even though there was some repetitive text and the book's ending was abrupt. Lisa's life is about to change in a big way but does she want Mark by her side? Does he even want to be there? This one had an interesting plot. And, okay, I wasn't crazy about the characters or some of the author's views but, all in all, it felt refreshing somehow and my interest never waned. Not even when I guessed the identity of the abductor. I still wanted to know how the author would wrap it up. I have to be a little vague now to avoid giving spoilers . . . It’s the fallout from information discovered during the police investigation that I found most interesting. I felt Parks did a terrific job with the family dynamics in this book. What behaviours do people take on to play their designated role (wife, husband, parent, child) in their family? Who is keeping secrets? Who is keeping confidences? How does this impact individuals and the family unit when a member of the family disappears? And how do you adjust to the knowledge that you might not know those closest to you as much as you thought? Parks’ astute observations certainly provided food for thought. This dark, unsettling tale of the reunion of long-lost friends is a thoroughly gripping exploration of wanting what you can’t have, jealousy and revenge.

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

There were some eye-roll inducing moments like grouping video games and fascism together as the same... ???? Also homegirl was in the wrong and it felt like the author was tryna do some extreme mental gymnastics to make this the patriarchy's fault even though it wasn't. And ya'll know I'm not out here rallying for men in books, but this wasn't the time to go for the jugular 😂 People took notice immediately. Some publications even set her apart as one of a few dozen faces to watch in the coming decade. And Adele Parks did not disappoint them, proceeding to sell millions of copies of her books and having many professionals in the industry describe her as one of the most beloved authors of women’s fiction in the United Kingdom. Both of You is quite a hard novel to review without giving too much away, but I'll do my best ... I'm a little of practice now. Kai has married a younger, wealthy man and living a life she never dreamed possible. But much like Leigh, she still wanting...more.

But I will say again the use of words, her ability to weave them together and talk to you and entice you with her writing prowess make all the minuses of this book acceptable and it it still for me New Year's Eve, 1920. The Great War is over and it's a new decade of glamorous promise but a generation of men and women who survived the extreme trauma and tragedy will never be the same.

Customer reviews

Leigh Fletcher is married to Mark and has two children Seb and Oli. She disappears in the same week as Kai Janssen. Do the two cases connect? DC Clements investigates. An entertaining, insightful journey on the relationship rollercoaster in this exhilarating collection of short stories. Leigh is married to Mark and a stepmother to Mark's sons. Leigh left for work one morning and never returned home. And when her boys begin to need her less, it becomes clear to Rose that Lucy’s life is devoid of real purpose or passion. However, Adele Parks takes offense with the idea that the term can be used broadly to describe all literary works written by women about women. Adele contends that women are very complex human beings and any book that aims to explore their lives, loves, and friendships should be treated with some respect.