A hilarious take on blended families. Matt and Claire are divorced. Matt is now with Alex. Claire is with Patrick. And there's seven year old Scarlet, Matt and Claire's daughter. These people all go together for Christmas week to a resort. All together, as in sharing the same cabin. Crazy, right? Well everyone is just having a sensational time. Not!! The drama just goes on and on. Patrick thinks Matt is trying to win his ex-wife, Claire back. Scarlet dislikes Alex. She wants her parents to get back together. Matt lies. Alex feels insecure. And wait, there's more, yes! Posey the giant purple rabbit. He's invisible. He's Scarlet's imaginary friend, and a troublemaker.
I laughed out loud. I totally enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it!!

Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book gives voices to each of the characters all while you try to decide "whodunit" while reading. Claire and Matt are the parents of Scarlett; Claire and Matt both have moved on and have new significant others. The wild and crazy idea of spending Christmas together - yes all 5 of them - at a holiday park is the central theme of this story.

Add in the awkwardness and personal issues, and you have a recipe for disaster!

This book was just ok to me. I wanted to like it more, but I still feel that it is 3 star worthy.

What could possibly go wrong when Scarlett's divorced parents decide to vacation with her and their new partners over the Christmas holidays? This was a fun romp although all the characters are so immature that it became tiresome to follow their bad decisions. The Adults is a quick read but not overwhelming in quality.

Just OK. Through most of it I thought it was a realistic look at the relationship dynamics of an "extended family", but that all changed in the end. Too unrealistic for me.

This was a good book to read in between other more gripping titles on my shelf. It was the one I read when nothing else was available. It was a fun concept, adults not always acting very adult-like, on a train wreck of a holiday trip. I expected it to be funny. I didn't laugh. There was an element of a who-done-it, and I did finish the book so that I could find out. But it wasn't really my cup of tea.

Oh to be so grateful that my child is old enough that I will never need to "co-parent". My hat is off to those that are able to, but I know that I would not be able to hold my snarky tongue to spend time with my ex and his new love. I admit it...I'm petty like that,

Claire and Alex - they are my favorites. Matt is too - gosh I don;'t even know how to describe him but even hearing him speak in my head gives me the willies. He is too lackadaisical, too unstructured, too go with the flow for me, even as a fictional character. If he was my husband he would have been kicked to the curb so long ago. However, he is the perfect foil for scientist Alex and he seems to balance her out.

Patrick... I would have loved more of his back story with Lindsay. There is definitely more to his story.

Overall - The Adults was a smart, charming holiday story and I am very thankful for the eARC from Netgalley.com

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of The Adults by Caroline Hulse. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

This is the perfect light read for a cozy Saturday when the prospect of facing a holiday with your family is stressing you out. Because nothing can be more awkward than this holiday plan. Claire and Matt are divorced, both in new relationships and both are parents to precocious Scarlett. Wanting Scarlett to spend the holiday with both parents the two couples agree a few days at Santa’s Enchanted Village will be the perfect place to unwind and celebrate Christmas as one big happy family. Yeah, right!! Oh, and Scarlett has a 5 foot tall imaginary bunny who is her advisor and best friend. Of course, a dozen things go wrong, including someone being shot with an arrow. Silly and fun with some bittersweet moments, this book will be a welcome break from the holiday burnout.

The Adults by Caroline Hulse is an interesting take on the family dynamic after divorce. The way the mystery unfolds through interviews was well done and well written. I thought it was a good sort of mystery and I'm glad to have read it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was expecting a typical Christmas story but it was much more than that! I enjoyed all the characters but particularly Posey. I laughed out loud at him. The story was a great mystery and I loved the way the book was written: the story interspersed with the police interviews.

Claire and Matt are divorced and somehow decide to take a very awkward Christmas vacation with their daughter and each of their new partners (plus the daughter's imaginary rabbit friend). It was an okay book, not good, not bad. I didn't like a lot of the characters. Three stars.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hilarious tale of a divorced couple and their new partners who rent a holidsy house together for the sake of a daughter. Disaster happens and hilarity ensues.

Scarlett's parents are divorced, but want to create a family atmosphere for the holidays for her. Her mom & boyfriend, her dad & girlfriend all agree to go away for the week of Christmas. What could go wrong, right?

Right from the beginning we know someone has been injured and a call has been frantically made requesting help, but we don't know who has been hurt. Told in alternating chapters by the characters and the police interviews, we and the police wait for the story to come out as to who did it.

Kept my attention, though not a deep read, I'd give it 3.5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am always amazed at how we discover important information from our significant others when we are in the presence of third parties. First that sheepish grin, then the downcast eyes and then the inimitable words; “I am sure I told you THAT”, except you know for sure that you were never told THAT and had absolutely no clue THAT ever happened.

A lot of THAT goes on in The Adults. Throw in a controlling seven-year-old whose best friend is a large imaginary rabbit wearing silver moon boots and dysfunction reigns supreme. If only the characters were more likable, if only the situations were more believable, if only the relationships were more convincing. If only.

The structure of the chapters was interesting, well done and the interviews were an effective way to move the story along.

Thank you LibraryThing, Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy.

I thought this book had a really interesting premise--especially given today's world of blended families. What would happen if you take two exes and their new significant others and the child of the exes and put them together for a week at a resort at Christmas time? Could be a bit too much togetherness-especially sharing a cabin all together. I really like the way this story started out. The author does a great job of gradually revealing the personality of each character through their interactions with each other. For me, however, the story started to slow a bit in the middle. I kept waiting for something new to happen or a deeper character flaw to be revealed. The ending was a bit predictable and not altogether satisfying as it seemed the story was just finished with no real character development other than the young child's. I had hoped for greater amusing interactions between this unlikely set of cabin-mates.

An enjoyable read about the craziness that can ensue when a divorced couple decide to vacation together with their new partners. Claire and Matt have since divorced, but share custody of their young daughter Scarlett.
When they all agree on a Christmas trip to the Happy Forest holiday park, things definitely don't go as planned. Told through multiple perspectives of the characters, this novel takes us on the worst family holiday ever. It was funny and sarcastic. A well written book with a portrayal of flawed characters. I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Nice heartwarming family-type read. Great to spend an afternoon.
Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

This was a funny book that I really enjoyed. Matt and Alex are together now as partners, and as Christmas approaches Matt decides it's a great idea to spend some time with his daughter Scarlett, his ex Claire and her new partner Patrick. They all go on holiday together, which sounds like a recipe for disaster.

The characters were quirky and fun and the plot was interesting and kept me reading well into the night.
I recommend this book.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Adults is a solid three-star read, with certain passages being five-star hysterical.

The characters, one divorced couple with a child, their new partners, and the child's imaginary friend/rabbit, are actually are very well-developed characters. When they all go on Christmas holiday together, well, what could go wrong, you ask? Name it, and it can.

The chapters are in varying perspectives, and I found the chapters written from the perspective of the child and her imaginary rabbit friend to be well-written but tedious.

But I was bothered by how easily the characters lie to make life fit their needs. And I was really saddened that Alex, a self-proclaimed 'doormat,' does not stand up for herself.

Thanks to #NetGalley for an advance e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Hulse gives us a comedic read with The Adults. It is a breezy writing style with changing perspectives of view based upon compelling characters.

With thanks to the author (Caroline Hulse), the publisher (Random House), and NetGalley.com for the advanced reader copy.

Looking for something a little lighter after some deep non-fiction and literary fiction reading, I saw pre=published reviews of "The Adults" by Caroline Hulse and decided to give it a try. Told in chapters with alternating narator, we meet Scarlett (and her imaginary rabbit friend, Posey), her parents Matt and Clair, as well as their new partners Alex and Patrick. The novel quickly builds to a Christmas Holiday trip the five take together as a group - a plan hatched by Matt so he can spend time with both his daughter and girlfriend. Slowly the atmosphere degenerates as their relationships are are tested by behavior, proximity, and unspoken concerns between the couples and Scarlett's parents. Tensions culminate in an unfortunate climax, but the group pulls together in the end and all is right with the world, so to speak. I enjoyed it more than I expected, and attribute that to the good writing and the unique story line.

A quick and easy read, I would recommend "The Adults" for fans of Maria Semple or Nora Ephron.