Imagine the sexiest man you can think of. He's disrespectful, confident and completely unscrupulous. He's about to destroy Connie's peace of mind and her plan for living happily every after with her husband Luke.
Adele Parks MBE is one of the most-loved and biggest-selling women's fiction writers in the UK. She has sold over 4 million books and her work has been translated into 30 different languages.
She has published 21 novels, all of which have been London Times bestsellers.
Adele has written 19 contemporary novels and 2 historical ones, Spare Brides and If You Go Away, which are set during and after WW1. Her latest novels, Both of You, Just My Luck, Lies Lies Lies, I Invited Her In, The Image of You and The Stranger in My Home are twisty, domestic noirs. Adele likes to scrutinize our concepts of family, our theories on love, parenting and fidelity.
During her career Adele has lived in Italy, Botswana and London. Now she lives happily in Surrey, UK with her husband, son and cat.
If you want to stay in touch you can find Adele on Twitter @AdeleParks, Instagram @Adele_Parks or Facebook @OfficialAdeleParks. You can sign up to her newsletter at eepurl.com/cI0l and there’s lots more info about Adele and her books on www.adeleparks.com.
Woman is bored with perfect husband, meets a player at a work do. Thinks player really fancies her but he just wants to bed a married woman. Woman falls for player and has an affair for a few months.
Perfect husband finds out and leaves. Life gets miserable. They re-meet at a wedding where woman realises estranged perfect husband is... Well perfect. Husband asks adultering whore of a wife to get back with him during speech, stealing the thunder of the bride and groom. Everybody cries and cheers. Utter tosh and husband is just a sad act door mat.
Saved you £3.39 with this review. No really, no need to thank me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Connie and Luke have been happily married for 9 months and are still in their “Honeymoon Period.” At a work conference after heavily drinking, she shamelessly flirts with John Harding, their companies are merging so they will be soon working alongside each other. Can she face John again?
Luke and Connie’s close friends look up to their relationship and hope to find their own soul mates. When Connie starts an affair with John and tells her closest friend she is horrified that she would risk such a loving relationship, but Connie is completely hooked by John’s sex appeal.
From the start I hated John’s sexist, very childish attitude to sex and relationships hoping Connie quickly bores of their sexual liaisons.
When her friends find out about the affair, it soon affects the dynamics of their friendship. Can Connie be convinced that what she is doing is wrong!!
Although this is not one of my favourite Adele Parkes books, I still enjoyed it.
Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.
Actually it's very boring that i couldn't finish it, i didn't even feel curious to know what will happen in the end, when i first read Still Thinking Of You i was really so excited to read more novels for Adele Parks , i still have more books for her i didn't read yet , but my experience with Playing Away was not good at all, hope it won't be the same with the other books
**spoilers **. Not a huge fan of chick lit but having read a previous Adele Parks novel I picked this book up on offer. Sadly this can only be described as slightly better than the current trash being distributed after the Fifty Shades endemic. The main characters are stereotypical southern rich career girls with cash to splash but who still define themselves by being part of a twosome. The main plot is the protagonist being bored by her perfect life and embarking on an affair with what she perceives as an exciting and roguish man who takes her to tacky pubs rather than elite wine bars. Vulgar accounts of how he makes her feel I felt where quite unnecessary. Predictably her husband finds out and leaves her but comes back to her in the end in a mushy and unrealistic over the top scene. Really this is chick lit as it's worst.h
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.
I have had this book on my shelf for close to 20 years. It’s even moved continents with me. This is definitely in the chick-lit category, though Adele Parks now reads thrillers. However, this is just what I needed to read while we are in lockdown. If this is your thing, it’s well paced, and the characters are probably the same age I was at the turn of the century when it was written - and how old do I feel writing that phrase! I loved reading about their lives, the city drinking, the labels they shopped. It’s all so familiar, and the days where people used fax machines and before the iPhone was invented. I’m feeling quite nostalgic.
I'm not opposed to a bit of chick lit but I found this particular group of friends rather cringey to the point I was reading through my fingers at times! The overuse of the word 'vacillate' was also annoying. To be honest I'd never heard the word before yet every character in this book seemed to use it repeatedly! Also it wasn't quite as smutty as I had hoped given the title. Having said all that I did enjoy the ending, almost to the point where I would consider reading more by the author.
Agonizing, awful, terrible and not enjoyable. It enraged me, it was very dated in the way it was written and the old fashioned views and it's just agonising! I like this author but this book.... no!!! Just no!
Boring, the character's inner conflict makes zero sense and neither does the plot. The spice is non existent- " suggestively grinding our toilet parts together" ?¿? And the ending is an absolute joke.
First wife’s shadow was the first Adele Parks book I had read. This one is really quite different! I found the story compelling and wanted to get through the book but I did find the plot rather predictable. I actively disliked Connie but actually thought most of the characters were fairly superficial, with Connie being supremely vapid, vain and utterly selfish. I’m interested to read more of Adele’s books to see how her writing changes over the years.
I was quite excited about reading this book. I normally read crime fiction/psychological thrillers but due to the macabre nature of this genre, I fancied something a bit more lighthearted. I wish I hadn’t bothered. This book is probably one of the worst books I have ever read. The writing is atrocious and the content is vacuous and vulgar (she refers to her lady bits as her c**t). I’m not easily offended and I’ve been known to use that word myself once or twice. But in this context I felt it a little overkill. I was hoping the book would be quite sexy and a ‘guilty pleasure’ type read but as soon as I read that word (more than once), it lost me. The characters are one-dimensional and seem to lack the intelligence to talk about anything other than what they’re wearing and their sex lives. I didn’t finish the book, and it only served to remind me why I’m not a ‘girly girl’ and why I actively avoid ‘girly girls’.
I read this book rather quickly and I did think it was an easy read, however, I didn't like the main character and neither Lucy (who is a hypothetical bitch and who I guessed was having an affair with Peter), or John. Maybe the author wrote them like that on purpose, but nothing about them was likable and I just thought them to be total shallow, b*stards who have no decency and just care about looks and material things. I can't stand their attitudes to appearance, like it's the only thing that matters about a person.
The lead character, Connie, is spoilt and selfish and only goes back to poor Luke when she gets dumped by John. It hurt her ego and that's the only reason she wanted Luke back. I hated the ending because I was hoping Connie would end up divorced and alone after treating poor Luke like that. Unfortunately not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was excited and confused as to why Adele Parks was releasing 2 books so close to each other (Just My Luck and this one) and then I realised this book wasn’t new, just a re-release from 20 years ago and I had already read it! I was left disappointed. You can definitely tell how Adele’s style has changed and her writing has improved over the years and this was no where near as good as her books usually are. Lies, Lies, Lies was the last book of Adele’s I read and it was like this book had been written by a different person. My best advice would be to read this authors newer books as this is not her best work, Adele Parks is a fantastic author who has clearly got better over the last 20 years!
Luckily this wasn't my first adele parks book, otherwise it would have been my last. It reminded me of the shopaholic books I've tried. The characters similar rich and shallow people, although a classic take on a cheating marriage and happy reunion. I must say I found bits funny but only read it to the end in case it got better. I will read more adele parks as long as the reviews say its a much better read than this one. I gave 2 stars as I have enjoyed her other books.
A brilliant realistic and relatable telling of a married woman embarking on an affair and all of the highs and lows of marriage and an affair. (not that I have any experience if the latter!) Characters are all well described so you feel a part of the story. A brilliant read!
I had read 'I Invited her In' and really liked it so thought I'd give another Adele Parks book a go but it was ok. I didn't like the beginning and was almost giving up on it, however, it did get better and I actually began to enjoy it. The main character, Connie, did not draw me in at first and she wasn't my cup of tea but by the end I started to like her and really wanted her to have a happy ever after.
Over the years, I've become quite a fan of the chick-lit and bloke-lit genres. It's one of those guilty pleasures, in which you know every time you pick the book up that you should be reading something with a bit more depth but you just don't quite have the will power to let go. Fortunately, I think I may just have found the book to cure my addiction to the genre.
A couple of years ago, I was given a free book on the purchase of a travel guide. This book, Adele Parks' "Playing Away", sat unwanted and unloved upon my shelf until a friend who has similar reading tastes to me mentioned she was a big fan of the author. Given that our tastes coincide in so many ways, I figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try. If only I had known then what I know now.
Connie is married to Luke and has been for the last year, she believes happily. However, life is becoming stale so when she meets John Harding at a work conference, she struggles to resist. Then, when she meets him again at a similar event, she fails. For Connie, meeting John Harding is lust at first sight and although she is at first determined not to sleep with him, her resistance soon crumbles. She throws herself headlong into an affair with him, making sure her husband doesn't find out and even keeping the secret from some of her closest friends for fear they would neither understand nor approve.
What follows is tedious in its predictability. Not just in Connie's life, but in what happens to her friends. The details may not be exactly how you may have imagined or expected them to be, but in general terms, everything you would expect to happen does happen. There are no surprises to be had here and there is nothing missing. From the brief plot synopsis I gave above, you could write a list of what you would expect to happen and you would find it on your way through "Playing Away".
In addition to being predictable, it's all very vacuous. There's very little of substance here, with the whole book seeming to be a recounting of the situation as it unfolds and the conversations between friends, in both triumph and crisis for each of them. Whilst I realise I shouldn't expect too much from a chick-lit novel, this felt dumbed down even by the standards of most, so much so that I could almost feel myself losing IQ points as I read.
The characters weren't particularly well drawn and it's quite tough to sympathise with any of them, even when they are struggling with aspects of their lives. None of them seem particularly likeable and even when there comes a time where you are perhaps encouraged to sympathise with one character, or take sides after disagreements between them; I simply found that I couldn't be bothered. By that point, I was just too bored with the whole thing.
On the plus side, if you like this kind of thing, it's very simply done and it's going to be a relaxing read, in that there's not going to be much brain involvement. It's something to run your eyes over without having to put any effort into it. If you're into reading before you go to bed, this is about the perfect thing to be reading, as it's not going to leave you thinking about what you've read while you're trying to shut down and sleep and it's not as if you're going to miss out on much by being too tired to concentrate.
I'd decided before I was more than two chapters in to "Playing Away" that I hated it. I'm not sure quite what prompted me to keep going. Probably one part stubbornness and one part blind optimism that it might improve. It didn't.
Not having read any of Adele Parks' other novels, I'm not sure if this is just a really poor choice from her books or if this really is as good as she gets. Needless to say, she's not an author I shall be reading anything more of, as I'd much rather read something I'd enjoy.
If you are a fan of Adele Parks already or a fan of chick-lit, or just of reading that doesn't involve and brain work, you might just enjoy this. But be warned, my copy came free and I felt it was still over priced.
But if you value your brain in any way, please don't bother. You'll only hate yourself for it afterwards. It's bad enough to put me off reading chick-lit for good, as I can't bear the thought of stumbling across something like this again.
Playing Away by Adele Parks a five-star read that will set your world on fire. I am so surprised that this is the 20th year anniversary of this story, I loved it the first time, and I loved it the second time just as much. The first time I read this story, I hadn’t long turned 20 and was shopping in Cardiff and when it started raining I went into a bookshop and picked up three books, they had a 3 for 2 offer on and I took a chance on this one. I had always been a reader but in the previous couple of years I hadn’t read much, this book changed that and I started my journey into the voracious reader I am now, reading this the second time just raised a fire in me again. It even pushed me to do something I never thought I would and started a blog just for me with a pseudonym with the surname of a character from this novel. This current climate and pandemic have just pushed me too far, and I was starting to lose the enjoyment I got out of reading, but once again this story lit a fire in me and made me love reading once again. I will be picking up all those Adele Parks novels again and giving them, another read. Connie Green taught me that you don’t have to be likable to be liked and your life is your own to lead, I hope that she now gets to give another generation of young people some hope.
I recieved a free digital copy from the publishers through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinipns expressed are my own and given freely.
I read this book in two sittings in less than 24 hours... Why? Because i wanted to finish because i found the book incredibly disappointing. Not only was the storyline rubbish and not well spaced and timed it was truly boring.
Luke was the best character and honestly i hated him at the end... What a way to ruin someone else's wedding than to take back your adulterous, estranged wife in your best man speech. Connie was pathetic and she was so annoying and stupid that i couldn't even enjoy her character growth, which was rushed compared to the rest of the story which seemed to crawl by. There was nothing remotely exciting about Connie having an affair, there was nothing attractive about her lover nor was there anything attractive about the idea of adultery
I also really hated the long chapters... They seemed to go on and on, and never get anywhere.
This being my second read by Adele i probably won't be reading another, her writing style is not for me
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The term the grass is not always greener is a hard lesson for Connie, she was a bit of a wild child until she met Luke. They fell in love, got married, have a wonderful home and life is going well, even some of her friends are aiming for the same.
Connie goes to a work conference and meets John he is forbidden temptation and a real ladies man. Connie resists and at another conference she cannot she gives in. She is free with him and cannot wait to see him again. Luke is often away on business so it’s easy for her to get away.
Over time she starts to have what she thinks are feelings for John and deep down inside she knows he is wrong for her but she gets desperate and things start to catch up with her and she makes mistakes. The person she never wants to find out about the affair finds out ……… what will the recriminations be? Will Connie come to her senses…. Also right under her eyes another forbidden coupling is going on…..
This is one of those Chick Lit stories that is slightly predictable but I got engrossed in it and found it addictive
I love Adele Parks books but this one was definitely not one of my favourites. I was not surprised to learn it was written almost twenty years ago because Adele’s writing style has definitely developed
Luke and Connie are the envy of their friends because of their perfect marriage and evident love for each other. This all changes when Connie meets John Harding at a work conference. Flattered by his attention she begins an affair with him and seems to lose all control of herself.
The graphic descriptions of their encounters to me were unnecessary and took away from the storyline. Connie came across as selfish and immature. Luke was long suffering and in my view deserved more than his selfish wife.
This novel was not my favourite but I will definitely continue to read Adele’s books as I have enjoyed all her others that I have read .
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my chance to read this book
I probably read this about 15+ years ago when I was a chick lit reader and absolutely loved it, it was the second book I read of Adele Parks and have read all her books ever since! I decided to listen to this on audio again before starting her newest book a beautiful mess so that I could re-familiarise myself with the characters again. I was not left disappointed and loved it every bit as much the second time round. This is the first time I have ever re-read a book and wasn’t sure if I’d get bored, but I was pleasantly surprised that it was a different experience listening rather than reading and with 15+ years of maturity and life experience to look at it in a different light this time round!
THis is the first of Adele Parks I have read. I had high hopes.
It was a little bit slow to start with but it subtly grew on me very much and by the time I was half way I was totaly engrossed and unable to put down.
Great to actually view an affair from the womens perspective especially as she didn't particularty see it as an affair as she didn't actually sleep with him!
Good happy ending which I was beginning to think wouldn't happen.
TOld from characters perspective which I do like - it always seems so much more persoanlable. I would definately give another one of her books a go !