Leigh Fletcher: happily married stepmum to two gorgeous boys goes missing on Monday. Her husband Mark says he knows nothing of her whereabouts. She simply went to work and just never came home. Their family is shattered.
Kai Janssen: married to wealthy Dutch businessman, Daan, vanishes the same week. Kai left their luxurious penthouse and glamorous world without a backward glance. She seemingly evaporated into thin air. Daan is distraught.
DC Clements knows that people disappear all the time – far too frequently. Most run away from things, some run towards, others are taken but find their way back. A sad few never return. These two women are from very different worlds, their disappearances are unlikely to be connected. And yet, at a gut level, the DC believes they might be.
How could these women walk away from their families, husbands and homes willingly? Clements is determined to unearth the truth, no matter how shocking and devastating it may be.
The Sunday Times Number One bestseller Adele Parks returns with her most provocative, compelling book to date: Both Of You.
My Thoughts
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
On the cusp of a national lockdown, two women go missing in the same week. Leigh Fletcher is married to Mark and they have two son’s together Oli and Seb. The second woman is Kai Janssen, who is married to Daan, a wealthy Dutchman. The responsibility of discovering the whereabouts of both of these women falls on DC Clements, who has a strong belief that both of these incidents are connected.
The disappearance of Leigh and Kai is told from multiple perspectives, something I have always loved as it really allows you to get to know both of these women on a much deeper level as we delve in to their lives. As the story progresses, we uncover some dark secrets that both women have been harbouring in their past, and these discoveries certainly left me reeling and utterly shocked!.
We also get to follow the story from DC Clements perspective, along with the help of Tanner, her trusted partner. They openly speak about how the disappearance of these women might end up being added to the long list of people who are never reunited with their families, a rather alarming statistic that is raised within this novel, and another factor that adds a sense of reality to the story along the way.
As the investigation starts ramping up, we learn more about these women and their relationships at home, something that Adele Parks exceeds at. We get to witness a whole host of family drama, hidden secrets, and take a much closer look at what would otherwise appear to be the perfect relationships. Jealously, deceit, and resentments all come bubbling to the surface, and the fine line that hovers between love and hate is explored in quite some detail.
As soon as I pick up a book by Adele Parks I just know I am in for a dramatic, utterly compelling read. The storyline within Both of You is certainly relevant to the recent times we have all been living in, with high drama and suspense building up with every passing chapter, this is certainly right up there with her best work yet. The characters are authentic and well fleshed out, allowing the reader to get a good grasp of who they are as individuals, and what life experiences may have done to them along the way. This book has a gripping plot, with the perfect amount of drive and intrigue to keep you hooked to the very end. Both of you is without a doubt a must read of 2021.
About the Author
I’ve always dreamed of being a writer and when my first novel – Playing Away – was published the Evening Standard identified me as one of London’s ‘Twenty Faces to Watch’, which was very nice of them!
I like to keep busy and I’ve published 20 novels, and I’m thrilled to say that they’ve all hit the bestseller lists. Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck have secured the top spot and are Sunday Times #1 bestsellers. Whoop whoop, thanks to every single person who has ever bought a copy of one of my novels. There must be a lot of you as I’ve sold over 3.8 million books in the UK alone and I’ve been translated into 26 different languages.
I have written 18 contemporary novels and 2 historical ones, Spare Brides and If You Go Away, which are set during and after WW1. I’m happiest writing twisty, domestic noirs as I like to scrutinize our concepts of family, our theories on love, parenting and fidelity. There’s nothing more fun than taking ordinary people and placing them under extraordinary stress – at least in novels!
I passionately believe that reading is a basic right. I’m a proud Ambassador of The National Literacy Trust and The Reading Agency, charities that are devoted to encouraging emerging adult readers and children who are finding the magic of books.
During my career I’ve lived in Italy, Botswana and London. Now I live happily in Surrey with my husband, son and cat.
If you want to stay in touch you can find me on Twitter @AdeleParks, Instagram @Adele_Parks or Facebook @OfficialAdeleParks. You can sign up to my newsletter at eepurl.com/cI0l and there’s lots more info about me and my books on http://www.adeleparks.com.
*Thank you to Sian Baldwin at HQ and Adele Parks for providing me with a gifted copy of this book in return for my honest review. All thoughts are entirely my own and not influenced in any way.*
Victoria Wilks 
I like Adele parks’ books too, but haven’t reviewed many yet. This sounds great
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