Not my favourite Adele Parks book by any means.
Not a completely boring read, but predictable, bland and the chemistry between the main characters just wasn't as present as it should of been.
Not the worst book I've ever read in my life, but certainly my least favourite book from this author so far.

I have read three of Adele Parks' other books and really enjoyed them, so I was keen to read this one.

Connie has been happily married to Luke for almost a year. But then Connie meets stunning John Harding at a work conference and everything changes for them.

In a novel that deals with issues of fidelity and is brimming with emotional drama Adele Parks' characters are personable and real, making this book all the harder to put down. Funny and so well written, I liked the supporting cast of Connie's friends and found the way they all dealt with her betrayal differently absolutely enthralling. In Playing Away, Adele Parks demonstrates that she knows how to write enticing, gripping and original novels that are must-reads. Very highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Headline via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Adele Parks she is a great author, unfortunately, I didn't think this one was one of her best. A little too short, and a bit slow. I am looking forward to her next book.

Playing away by Adele Parks.
This was an ok read. Not one of Adeles best books. Couldn't connect with characters. The story was ok. Just read it. 3*.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I found this book a little hard to get into at first, but then after a couple of chapters I suddenly found myself hooked. I didnt realise that this was a re-release of Adele's debut novel, and I found it fascinating taking in the ways in which her writing has evolved over the years. The story itself was a ut of a slow starter for me, but still a delightful read none the less.

It took everything for me to try to get into this book unfortunately.
I loved other books by the author but this one was definitely a harder one for me. I can’t exactly put my finger on what it didn’t work for me but it’s just I couldn’t get invested. I’m sorry but I’m still looking forward to other books by the author because as not all the books are for everyone, this won’t keep me reading more by her.



Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Absolutely fantastic read
Absolutely loved everything about this one.
Huge fan of Adele Parks and love her books. This is possibly new favourite

A little disappointling read. I found it slow moving and not much of a storyline. The characters were amusing at times The plot was slow but predictable. Not the best Adele Parks book.

I didn’t realise this was Adele’s debut novel and a re-release to celebrate 20 years so it was quite interesting to see how her writing has evolved in that time. A chick-lit book that was a fun and entertaining read. I have to say I much prefer her later novels but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a re-release of Playing Away to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. It's a fantastic read which showcases just how talented Adele Parks is as a writer, even early in her career she knew how to write enticing, gripping and original novels that were must-reads. What's lovely about Playing Away is still stands the test of time and is a very relevant read.

This was a very slow starter but halfway through I was hooked I couldn't put the book down ,I have read loads by this author and was very impressed once I got into it ,

I really enjoy Adele Parks books and was delighted to read her first book Playing Away which has been released as a special edition to mark 20 years since it was first published.
Connie has been married to Luke for almost a year. They are happily married. Or at least there were, until Connie met John at a work conference and it was lust at first sight.
The book deals with the issues of fidelity and emotional drama. It is funny and so well written, a brilliant debut. I was delighted to see many characters who feature in Adele’s later books.
Will Connie come to her senses before she goes to far with John? Will she realise the grass is not always greener on the other side? Will Connie and Luke be able to resolve their issues? Or will it be happy ever after for Connie and John?
I would recommend this for anyone who is yet to read it.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a Kindle copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Playing Away is twenty years old and is not Adele Parks finest work. I prefer her later psychological thrillers.
Connie is married to Luke, they have been married for nine months, all her friends look at Connies marriage as what they all want theirs to be like. Connies company she works for is merging they hold an event and she sees John Harding who is the best looking man there. She swerves him the first time but then starts an affair after the next time she sees him. The book follows Connies life as she leads a double life and the ups and downs to the affair.
I found Connie totally self centred and John was very childish and annoying, it wouldn’t have mattered if he was the best looking man in the world, I wouldn’t have done what Connie did as he was sooo annoying.
I found it slow going at the beginning and did skip parts and the language in parts felt out of place.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Headline for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

I had been a little confused that Adele Parks was publishing two books at once, but I realised it’s a re-release from a few years ago. I had already read it but forgotten all about it. We follow Connie and Luke who are still in the honeymoon phase of their marriage at only nine months wed. However, when Connie goes to a work conference she becomes attracted to John and after drinking heavily indulges in flirting. As their companies merge she learns they’ll be working alongside each other, but will she be able to stay away from him? Connie and Luke’s friends see them as the relationship to emulate or aim for, because they seem to be soulmates, Its hard to see what she might see in John, his attitude is awful and he is very immature with reference to sex and relationships. Luke is the much better man. Friends are shocked to hear about Connie’s dalliance and urge her to end it.

This was a bit of a nostalgic look back to a different time, with different values and preoccupations. I can see that Adele Parks’s writing has gone from strength to strength, This was nowhere near the writing skill she’s shown in her last few novels.

I wasn't sure if enjoy this book and felt it started slowly. However even before halfway through, it had me hooked.
I couldn't wait to see what would happen next to all the characters in the book. Looking forward to the next installment now! Would highly recommend!

I've read many of Adele Parks books, and this wasn't a disappointment, Connie Parks has it all but still wants more. She is definitely a grass is always greener type of girl. Her friends around her also show that you never truly know what is going on in other peoples lives, we all want to believe that someone else is having a better time than us. A captivating read but a warning to treasure what you have.

I love Adele Parks as a writer. I think her books are always really well written and so easy to read. I love the way her style and type of book has evolved over the years too.

I had originally read Playing Away when it was first released and I was in my very early twenties and I loved it so was pleased to see it was being re-released for its 20yr anniversary. I

I read the book in two days and enjoyed it all over again! It’s a story of Connie who seems to have everything - perfect life, great husband and lots of friends but when she meets a new handsome man she can’t, or won’t, resist him. This leads to an affair starting and the book takes us through how this impacts on Connie’s life and relationships with her husband and friends. It shows the reader that things aren’t always perfect despite them looking so on the outside - everyone’s lives have their own trials, even if they are self made.

Thinking of looking out some past copies of Adele’s other books to re-read while in lockdown as it really took me away from it all while reading.

Thanks to NetGalley, Headline & Adele Parks for an ARC of this book

Great book, exceptional plot, but unfortunately I read out of sequence so therefore knew the ending 😂

Oh god. I expected this to be funny, maybe even with a slightly moral message. Is that what this book is? No, this book is the opposite. There are four (maybe five - I was so confused throughout most of the story) close friends, one of whom is Connie, someone who is hellbent on destroying her marriage and seems to care very little about her actions. I don't want to read from the perspective of a cheater who gets her man at the end - she doesn't deserve that and I hated the writer for finishing it the way it did. Any value the book may have had was destroyed in that moment. The main character was horrific, her friends were horrible (especially the one sleeping with her friend's husband, that was just messed up) and the writing was confusing. Just not worth it. Please don't read this book, Adele Parks has better books out there that don't glorify cheating as a cool thing that won't mess people up.