Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks review – An absolute rollercoaster

Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks: The review

Wow. Our Beautiful Mess by Adele Parks is an absolute rollercoaster ride from start to finish – and the title summarises it up rather well. It is a beautiful mess, indeed. And an ugly one. This is the story of Connie, her husband and her three daughters, with much of the plot revolving around her eldest daughter, Fran. Coming home from university for the Christmas break, Fran not only introduces her new boyfriend, Zac, but she springs upon her family the news that she’s pregnant.

It’s a bit of a shock, but Connie can cope with it, even if it means her Christmas plans are largely interrupted. What Connie cannot cope with, however, is the fact that Zac’s father is John Harding, the man Connie had an affair with some years earlier, and who nearly tore her family apart.

The first half of Our Beautiful Mess deals with the turmoil of this family drama, with everyone coming to terms with Fran’s pregnancy. We get perspective from Fran herself, the difficulty of leaving friends behind as she enters this new phase of life but also the excitement of being a mum. But there’s also something niggling at her — and it seems both her and Zac have big secrets that are going to have dire consequences.

The second half of the book? Oh my god, I could not put it down. This goes places, and to reveal exactly what happens will ruin it for you. You’ll have an inkling from the first chapter, because this story opens where it ends – with a terrible incident involving someone getting shot. But exactly how Connie, Fran, Zac and John Harding’s stories unfold to get to that point is something you’ll have to find out for yourself. But trust me: once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop.

Parks has done an incredible job of weaving an emotional, tight family drama with high-octane thrilling action, and it all works so seamlessly. The secrets this family keeps, the terrible events that bring them together and tear them apart — it’s an absolute rollercoaster ride, and my heart was in my mouth for at least the last 150 pages.

I don’t think any review I write can do this book justice, especially without revealing any spoilers, but take my word for it: if you enjoy domestic drama and family-based thrills, this is an absolute must-read.

Oh, and Connie and John Harding have featured in Adele Parks’ work before: Playing Away and Young Wive’s Tales feature them both. I know what I’ll be reading soon!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing access to an early digital copy of this book for the purposes of this review. And thanks to HQ: I was lucky enough to win a gorgeous golden proof from their stand at Harrogate Crime Festival.