Back in the noughties Adele Parks was one of my go-to authors, I loved her books such as Playing Away, Still Thinking of You, and The Other Woman’s Shoes. For no reason other than life, it's been a while, but I recently went along to an event for Adele Parks’ latest book release (Our Beautiful Mess). As part of the event, we were given an audiobook code for a previous novel, Lies, Lies, Lies. I knew Adele’s writing has shifted somewhat over recent years to her books becoming more suspenseful psychological dramas (perfectly suiting my changing taste too!) so it was about time I became reacquainted with her books.
‘Daisy and Simon’s marriage is great, isn’t it?
After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. A happy little family of three.
And so what if Simon drinks a bit too much sometimes – Daisy's used to it, she knows he’s letting off steam. Until one night at a party things spiral horribly out of control. And that happy little family of three will never be the same again.’ (Courtesy of Adele's website.)
On the face of it Daisy and Simon have a pretty much perfect life, a happy marriage, a happy daughter and a lovely home. Yet we quickly learn that things are far from perfect here. Simon drinks way too much, Daisy is hiding a major secret, and their lack of communication culminates in an event that changes both their lives forever
I was really torn when reading this. On the one hand I really felt for Daisy, I felt exhausted for her, the emotional weight she carried was immense. On the other hand I found her incredibly frustrating at times and questioned her decisions. Simon was complex too, I didn’t warm to him for a long time; I don’t think I was meant to! However, he slowly grew on me as elements of the story came to light (great twists!) and by the end I was completely rooting for both of these characters, they’d been through so much!
What was great about this book for me was that the characters felt real. They’re flawed and make mistakes like we all do but when it comes down to it, they have good hearts. The book really delivered for me when the twists were revealed, none of which I saw coming and they all made me reconsider how I viewed the characters and their actions in a good way.
This book manages to remain relatively light although it delivers emotion, frustration and covers some difficult subjects and it was a good balance for me. If you enjoy domestic dramas and enjoy books that explore the messier and sometimes darker side of relationships, this is definitely worth a read! This was a great book and I can’t wait to begin Our Beautiful Mess.
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