Cover Image: Both of You

Both of You

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Member Reviews

Oh my life this book was amazing!!!!! I have never been so gripped by a book before!!!! The plot was incredible and so so clever and quite honestly, I have no nails left from being so scared!!! Adele Parks at her finest!!!

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A good thriller with a couple of twists in the story. Mark's wife, Leigh, goes missing , though this is not immediately apparent because she works away for half of the week. Slightly later in the book, Daan's wife also disappears. The police discover that she too is away for part of the week looking after her ageing mother.
I liked the build up of suspense in this book, the terror and confusion felt by the captive and the descriptions of family/married life. Leigh's friend helps support Mark through the time of his wife's disappearance, helping with his sons and with the running of the household.
The slightly weak point of this book was the police involved in the investigation. There is no discussion of leads in the case or interviews and the fact that the policewoman has to deal with discriminatory attitudes from her colleagues seemed to be added into the story without an obvious reason.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A chilling roller coaster of a book and real page turner. A little slow to start, especially as the beginning is rather dark and intense, plus jumps about but soon settles into a tremendous psychological thriller Written from several of the character's perspective it is a strong complex plot. Many twists and turns with plenty of red herrings along the way with an unexpected ending despite suspicions. Interesting diverse characters set very loosely against the start of the pandemic but not as much as I thought as there would be. Definitely worth a read but be prepared to be shocked in some of the darker phases.

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My thanks to NetGalley and HQ for this advance copy.

This is my first Adele Parks novel and on feedback from reviewers I felt it worth a read. Many writers have taken the opportunity of the Covid19 pandemic lockdown to pen new novels, some with resounding success, others not so. Sadly this for me was one of the latter.

The switching between time zones irritated me, as I favour novels that move in one forward direction. The synopsis hinted at the story so, despite a number of twists, there were no real surprises to this novel as there were so few players. I found the story somewhat tedious, particularly as it was not until the second half that it picked up the pace. To the writers credit, the novel is well written and planned with a variety of complex characters revealing their inner depths of deceit, lies and schemings.

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I do enjoy a good Adele Parks book, so was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of Both Of Them, a psychological thriller that sounded intriguing.
Two women, two disappearances, two husbands confused.
Leigh Fletcher is a happy woman, step-mum to two lovely boys and wife to a gorgeous husband. Do they have ups and downs? Sure they do. But nothing major.
Kai Janssen is another blissfully happy woman. Married to a rich man who desires her completely, and surrounded by luxury, she wants for nothing.
Then one day, they both disappear.
The story follows the mysterious disappearance of both women, told from the viewpoints of various characters from the book, including both husbands, Leigh's eldest stepson, the investigating DC, and her best friend Fiona. Information is drip-fed in a way that makes you want to keep turning the pages until you find out what has happened to them both.
I can't really say much more, because I don't want to give anything away, but once you get into it, this book is extremely hard to put down again.
Did I guess what the ending would be? Well, I'd be lying if I said yes, straight out. I had my suspicions, then they got sent awry as I was led down other paths...
Very good.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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"Both of You" is the latest psychological thriller from Adele Parks. It is written in such a way, from a number of viewpoints, as to keep the reader guessing until nearly the end as to the identity of the criminal and their motivation. The characters and situations are complex and the final action takes place at the very start of the first coronavirus lockdown. Be warned that once you get about half way through this book it is difficult to put down.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

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The story is about Leigh and Kai who both disappear at the same time which is definitely odd and very hard to imagine that happening as Leigh is devoted to the boys and would never leave them and Kai has a life you could only dream of and is very happy. It was very gripping at times and a real page turner as couldn’t wait to see what happens next I thought I knew who the bad guy was but no far from it so quite a shock when I found out . All of Adele Parks are really good and this one is no exception definitely recommend. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

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Adele Parks is a prolific writer, bringing out a new book a year. This domestic thriller, set during the first lockdown of 2020, is her latest offering. The plot centres on the disappearance of two women: hard-working mother of two Leigh, who lives in a Victorian semi in Balham, London with her family, and glamorous Kai Janssen, married to a wealthy Dutch businessman with whom she lives near Tower Bridge. Investigating their disappearance is a third female character, DC Clements, and we also get glimpses into a fourth female character, Fiona, who is Leigh’s best friend. Fast-paced plots and deft characterisations are usually the hallmarks of Adele Parks’ writing, but in this novel, they neither came through as strongly as usual. I felt that the characters of the husbands, investigating police officer and eventual villain were all underdeveloped, and Leigh’s teenage son Oliver, an interesting character in his own right, somehow faded out of the novel. The ending was rushed, making me wonder at first whether I had missed a page or two, and there were some grammatical errors that could have been sorted during a stronger edit. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC that allowed me to read this novel before publication. It was an entertaining read from an accomplished writer, but does not stand out to me as one of Parks’ strongest books.

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The story begins with Leigh having been drugged and abducted, finding herself chained to a radiator with no means of escape.

The story is mainly told from two viewpoints, Leigh and Kai, and at first the two don’t seem to have a connection. Backgrounds are explored leading up to the present day, and the pace increases as DC Clements takes charge of investigating the case, determined to discover what has happened.

This is a graphically described thriller full of suspense, with plenty of twists and turns to keep you glued to the page, wondering who is responsible. Several red herrings keep you guessing. It’s difficult to decide who is the suspect. Characters are expertly drawn, though I found it difficult to empathise with several characters.

A compelling, intriguing, well plotted story with a totally unexpected ending.

Another winner from Adele Parks.

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I'm usually more at home with police procedurals but when I was offered the chance to join the blog tour for Adele Parks' new domestic thriller, I was keen to sign up. I'd heard great things about Parks' books and this one sounded absolutely compelling.

The story is about two missing women. One, Leigh Fletcher, has left a husband and two adored stepsons in an average family home - the normal trials and stresses of raising children were present, but Leigh was happy and the family miss her very much. The second woman - Kai Janssen - has vanished from her wealthy Dutch businessman husband and glitzy penthouse apartment. Again, there was no discernible reason for her to leave. Two women, two devastated husbands, two very different lives - and it is down to DC Clements to work out where the women have gone any why.

I started this novel thinking it was a slow burner - the start of the novel gives us a lot of backstory about the two women and their domestic set-ups. However, this book soon had me in its grip and I raced through it because I was desperate to find out what had happened. In the process, I think I had pretty much everyone involved pinned as a likely culprit for the abductions - and was pretty much wrong on all counts.

This is definitely a book that will keep you guessing.

On top of the pacey plotting, I also found myself being caught up in the lives of the main characters - I particularly warmed to Leigh who seemed to be making a great job of the difficult role of stepmother to two boys whose mum had died when they were young. My heart actually hurt for the littlest boy who was desperate for news of the only mum he remembered. Much of Leigh's domestic life seemed relatable and her husband a gentle giant who was lost without her. Kai and Daan (the Dutch husband) seemed much less engaging - but maybe that's just my jealousy about not living their glamorous lives speaking there!

And that is pretty much all I can say without giving away some major plot elements,

I did enjoy this book a lot and was genuinely taken aback by the ending - again, I can't say much more, but I really couldn't see how it was going to end in a way that could tie up all the loose ends and resolve all problems. I do still have some questions and a few reservations - but nothing that detracted from my reading of the novel. I do wish that DC Clements had been a little more instrumental in the whole story - but that might be my love of detective fiction creeping in.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys domestic thrillers - it is cleverly plotted, surprising and immersive. The characters are well-developed and interesting, even if a lot of them aren't nice and certainly don't play nice!

Thanks to Harper Collins, the HQ publicity team and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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‘Both of You’ is another super book by Adele Parks: fast-paced, with plenty of twists and turns. When two happily married women disappear in London just as the UK is heading into lockdown (clever, small references but not overly emphasised), DC Clements is tasked with investigating their cases.

What follows is difficult to review without giving away spoilers, but the lives of these women and the people in them, are certainly not as it appears and raises the question of whether we ever truly know the ones closest to us.

Told from different perspectives, I enjoyed how a major twist was revealed fairly early on and so the rest of the story was spent unraveling the identity of the captor and the reasons behind the characters’ behaviour.

A gripping, engaging plot which is full of self-centred, selfish, unlikeable characters.

If I was to be picky, I do think that the ending was a little rushed (I would have loved to have read more), a few of the sex scenes felt gratuitous and that DC Clements was underused. Nevertheless, this is another great offering by Parks and I’m grateful to Netgalley for the chance to read in return for an honest review.

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Loved it! Full of suspense from the first page and lots of twists and turns. I'm proud that I figured out who was behind it fairly early on but even then I was kept second guessing myself for the rest of the book. The characters were believable and a highly recommended read.

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Both of You is a brilliant read,a real page turner .Set in London two seemingly happily married women go missing on the same day ,their husbands are distraught the Police are called to investigate .This is such a hard book to put down as the story is gripping and compelling and twists and turns .The characterisation is excellent I felt I knew the characters,I didn't guess correctly the reason they disappeared or whodunnit!!! Kept me guessing to the end .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

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I found this book a really good read that feels very modern having been set to include the pandemic without that being the main focus.

DC Clements becomes involved in the cases of two seemingly unrelated missing people (Leigh and Kai) looking to see whether they are in fact related. With plenty of twists, turns and even red herrings, the story is tense and enjoyable, especially for fans of books that leave a little to the imagination at the end without being tied up too neatly. Definitely recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

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Leigh had almost given up hope of finding a partner or having a family so a chance encounter with Mark and his two young sons led to marriage and Leigh being happier than she ever could have expected. When she leaves for work Monday to Thursday as normal and there is no communication as normal, Mark to begin with isnt suspicious as they had a bit of a spat and thought she was sulking. When Thursday came around and still no Leigh, he had to report her as missing. Kai lives with her Dutch husband Daan and leads a luxurious lifestyle not too far away from Leigh. She spends some of the week away looking after her elderely mother. Both women have very suddenly disappeared. Are the two cases connected ? We get chapters from a woman who is being held captive not quite knowing why or how she was taken and most importantly who. She gets occasional typed notes pushed through the door. A read where one minute you like the character and the next chapter are thinking “ what? why'' ? A very well written book to engage and keep the pages turning. There is the mention of the forthcoming lockdown (the first book I’ve come across so far with this in ) which did make me wonder how the characters would react. A very well thought out plot and one that kept me in suspense. Clever.
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In ‘Both of You’ Adele Parks once again delivers a fantastic novel, some wonderful twists make it both gripping, and very challenging to write a plot summary about without inadvertently dropping spoilers!

Two attractive, but otherwise unrelated men, find that their wives have suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. DC Clements becomes involved and looks for clues as to what might connect these 2 seemingly coincidental disappearances. What she uncovers is quite astounding and throws the lives of both men into chaos!

Plot and narrative are superb and the character development is also on point, with even the potentially unlikeable characters appearing human and relatable.

Overall an excellent read, that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Adele Parks just gets better and better. This book captivated me and made me think about the different facets of our personalities and lives. Is my 'work' persona very different form my 'home' persona. As women juggling home and work responsibilities , we can feel and behave like different people in different environments. How far could that go? The two women who disappear in this book are each living very different lives. Each can justify the selfish choices they make, but will there be any way back for them after the disappearances.. Compelling read right to the end and left me imagining what would happen next to all the other characters.

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I really enjoyed this book. All of the characters were utterly self obsessed, the only likeable ones were the boys! I have to say I guessed pretty early on who was behind the disappearances but the more the book went on the extent of the planning, and motivation behind it kept the story interesting. I like the way it was set at the beginning of the covid pandemic with the empty supermarket shelves and mounting sense of unreality bringing the timeline into sharp relief. Very enjoyable, I couldn't put this one down!

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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.

This is a gripping, easy to read thriller with the mystery deepening intriguingly as the storyline progresses. The family dynamics within the Fletcher household are well conveyed in particular the teenage angst of Oli. The characterisation is good though they aren’t all likeable by any means. There are parts of the plot where there is tension, there’s a feeling of terror and powerless confusion. There’s plenty of emotion flying around from loss to anger and jealousy and coldness. There are a few hot and steamy episodes too!! I like some of the twists, you do see some of them coming but others you certainly don’t and there are some very convincing red herrings chucked in for good measure!! Through DC Clements there are thought provoking issues raised such as the startling and shocking statistics for missing people in the UK, there’s the inclusion of domestic violence and a sexism slant via Clements boss. I like the ending and the fact that it isn’t all neatly tied up in a bow, it’s much more realistic and true to life.

Overall, an entertaining, well written and compelling thriller which I enjoyed.

With thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the arc in return for an honest review.

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So two missing Ladies, are they linked is there a connection? DC Clements thinks there is, both Ladies just seemed to vanish leaving 2 husbands 2 boys and friends baffled and heartbroken. Leigh is married to Mark and stepmother to Oli and Seb. Her best friend Fiona was the last person to see her before she went missing they'd met for coffee & cakes a regularl Monday routine . Kai is married to Daan a Dutch man who sticks and came to England (who wouldn't) to be with Kai and marry her, he's normally the one others move to his step. Kai was something different. He was wealthy healthy and they say a head turner.
So what has happened to these 2 vanishing Ladies will there be a happy ever after and if so for who?, Is there a cliff hanger? Well there are plenty of twists one of the biggest comes part way through the book and its a corker or rather causes a lot of uncorked bottles (well uncapped now a days I guess you have to say).
This is truly a 5 star book in my view in fact most of Adeles are in fairness so not a shock but there are plenty of shocks inside. Its well worth the read i love it and really hope you do as well. I don't think you can ever go wrong when Adele Parks is the Author.

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