It’s unfortunate that the publishers bill this as “The most hilarious debut you will read all year.” This novel about a divorced couple with joint custody of their seven-year-old daughter who come together with their new boyfriend/girlfriend is cute and fun, but I only chuckled once during the book. “Cute” and “fun” are not the same thing as “hilarious.” It sets up false expectations. In fact, part of reading about the struggles of Alex, the woman who’s dating the father, Matt, and of Patrick, the man who is dating the mother, Claire, is actually kind of sad.

Alex is a scientist who doesn’t have kids, so she fumbles a lot trying to connect with Scarlett, the seven-year-old. During the book, Matt and Claire get their partners agree to go away for a five-day weekend to celebrate Christmas at a lodge in the woods where there is archery, swimming, dance classes, golf, and so on. There is jealousy and misunderstandings and straight-up lies. Scarlett has long conversations with her invisible-to-everyone-but-her purple rabbit, Posey.

Even if you’re parents never divorced and dated/remarried, even if you’ve never dated a divorced person with kids, you’ll be able to identify with the different characters, particularly perfectionist/competitive Patrick and the well-drawn Alex, who gave up alcohol when she realized she was drinking too much, only to go a little nuts with wine under the stress of living with Matt’s ex-wife and his daughter who thinks Alex, as a scientist, is a murderer of animals (Alex isn’t that kind of scientist, but seven-year-olds don’t always understand the world of scientific inquiry.)

This is a good book. It’s just not funny.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES NOVEMBER 27, 2018.

Really a very funny book that will pull at your heartstrings. I read this over the course of 2 days because I couldn’t stop. Lively cast of characters you will enjoy reading about!

To be honest, when I first started reading the synopsis of this book I though it seemed like a far-fetched idea for 2 exes to go on vacay for Xmas with their new partners and their daughter. You get the impression right away that there’s clearly not been a clean or amicable dissolution of their relationship, so I thought “That would never really happen.” It just seems logical you’d be setting everyone up for a terrible time. However, as I kept reading about the book, I was intrigued to find out exactly what was going to unfold. This story was good. I was hoping for more of a funny streak to run through the story in order to help ease some of the actovities in the story, but I still very much enjoyed the book as I finished reading it in its entirety. I think this had a unique concept and definitely was out of the box. Cute story, good book.

#TheAdults#Netgalley#
Review by: I Love to Read/Librarian
A page turner from first to last. A divorced couple book a five day Christmas Holiday at a theme park type resort, for their daughter, bringing along their current significant others, as well. Tensions run high as we're treated to each character's point of view and motivation. I couldn't put this book down it was so entertaining. There were funny moments, sad moments, and tragic moments. A thought provoking story as well as a humorous peek into lives.

What a fun read! On the surface, this does not appear to be a deep and meaningful book...but in many ways it actually is. And...hilarious! The set-up pretty much says it all: Two-exes take their young daughter on a holiday vacation to a cabin in the woods with their new significant others in tow. Mayhem follows...but in a real and believable way. These are not one-dimensional characters, and they are oh, so easy to fall in love with (warts and all). Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital copy of this novel for review.

An interesting idea: a blended family created from past relations, mixing to create a holiday vacation.
Mayhem ensues, lies are uncovered, bonds broken.
And then there's an invisible rabbit, my favorite character.

A holiday at Happy Forest holiday park with a divorced couple, their daughter and their new partners, what could possibly go wrong. I requested this book hoping it would be as dysfunctional as it sounds and I am happy to say that it was and very humorous as well. Highly recommend!

This book was honestly just light-hearted fun. It went exactly where I thought it was going to be but it was a fun ride. It’s written in a format similar to Big Little Lies where it goes back and forth between interviews of an investigation after the incident and the story actually happening leading up to the incident. However, the writing is much more simple and there are not any big "twists and turns." I enjoyed the story but there wasn’t anything substantial that kept me drawn to the plot.

I will be posted a review on my Instagram account @readingnookreviews on 10/27/18 exactly one month before publish date. My review on Goodreads has already been posted and is linked!

This book is about a divorced couple that has agreed to spend the Christmas holiday (5 full days!) together along with their young daughter, and their new partners. This situation obviously is ripe for plenty of conflict, and of course, hijinks ensue. To add to the craziness, the daughter has a very active imagination and has brought along her imaginary friend, a 6 foot tall pink rabbit, who is wary of her dad’s girlfriend because she is a scientist, and therefore, must experiment on rabbits.

I absolutely adored this book! It reminded me of Big Little Lies in that there were interviews with witnesses in between the chapters, the story was told by multiple characters, and you know from the beginning someone got hurt, and the rest of the book explains what happened. I actually laughed out loud multiple times, and chuckled to myself throughout the book. The characters all had distinct personalities and the dialogue was great. I loved, loved this book. I can’t wait for the author to write more! I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

*thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read the advanced copy of this wonderful book!*

Imagine what would happen if you spent Christmas with your boyfriend, his ex-wife, their daughter, the ex's new boyfriend and the daughter's imaginary bunny. That is Alex's reality. Add in the daughter being afraid of you and you have given up drinking and you have the premise of the Adults. Things go from bad to worse as the holiday progresses.and someone may end up in jail.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

I was drawn to this book because of its plot and the fact that it was suppose to be a humorous book. For the most part I found the humor was lacking although I totally loved the Scarlett/Posey chapters. The book was just not what I expected from a book billed as “comic”. Also I thought all of the characters were insufferable. I know it was probably meant to come off as “not everyone is perfect” but by the end of the book I was glad someone got shot.

The writing was lovely so I gave it 2 stars for that but I probably wouldn’t put this one high up on my “to be read” list.

Funny, smart, off-beat contemporary drama about relationships with likeable characters who make mistakes and are very human. I LOVED this book! Quite refreshing in a sea of crazy, unbelievable family dramas.... Easy. quick fun read! Do not miss this one! Thanks SO much for the ARC!!!!!

Divorced parents taking their only child for a Christmas holiday with their significant others... Sound like a good idea? The Adults by Caroline Hulse is a train wreck that you don't mind riding on because the book is so fun to read. Changing points of view and hints that an accident has happened during the vacation keep the story moving. A fun, irreverent read!

A sarcastic take on a tradition of a Christmas family holiday, this family is anything but usual. Claire and Matt were divorced, with a daughter, Scarlett who has an imaginary friend. Matt is with Alex, a logical scientist in contrast with Matt’s “lazy arse”personality. Claire is with Patrick, an uptight, rule abiding boring guy. On holiday, havoc breaks loose as old truths come out and new alliances emerge. An interesting take which improved as the book went on, with sarcasm and humor.

This was quite a cheeky little novel. I read it fairly quickly and it kept my attention. I enjoyed that we knew in the beginning that someone had wound up shot on holiday, and I enjoyed unraveling the mystery. The thought of spending time trapped in a cabin with your ex-husband and his new girlfriend, your current boyfriend and your daughter sounds like a nightmare doesn't it? That's the premise of this story. The notion that these people could get along for the sake of their daughter sounds nice in theory, but the niceties don't last long. It's is a quick & fun read!

In an effort to give daughter Scarlett a Christmas with both parents, Claire and Matt arrange a vacation (along with their new partners) at the Happy Forest holiday park. What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot, actually! Full of humour, great characters - including a 6 ft. imaginary bunny - this is a great read!

Huh, well the premise of this book had me thinking I was in for a quirky banter filled story and I was really looking forward to a bit of fluff in between books. Ex-wife and husband with young daughter and imaginary rabbit and their significant others embark on a Christmas vacation together. It had the potential for epic disasters. In reality what I got was a slow building novel with unlikeable characters. I guess this one was not meant for me.

This laugh-out-loud story explores what can happen when well-intended, but not-completely-thought-out ideas go seriously sideways. Imagine your ex’s and current partners living together in a small space.... for Holiday!! A fun and light read that had me smiling the whole way through.

4 adults. 2 ex's. 1 child. 1 imaginary rabbit. 1 holiday lodge. Magical Christmas time.

What could possibly go wrong?

Exs who share a child and their new partners come together to have a epic christmas.
There is a mystery that the book starts right off with, and I won't comment or spoil on it.

I also love how there are parts where we see the insight from a child and how this common situation affects them also!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Isn't this the most intriguing cover? I chose to read this book simply because of it. Now, having finished, I think it's even more PERFECT! I have to say, I really, really, really enjoyed this one. I wasn't familiar with Caroline Hulse, but now I can't wait for all of her future books.

Here's the premise: Alex, a seemingly normal woman (and very analytical and sober scientist) is invited to go on a Christmas holiday at a family fun park with her boyfriend, Matt, an admittedly lazy but fun-loving guy. Sounds fun, right? But there's a catch. Matt's ex-wife, the perfect lawyer Claire, their (Claire and Matt's) spunky 7 year-old daughter Scarlett, and Claire's boyfriend, Patrick (a total dud, according to Matt) are joining in on the trip.

What could possibly go wrong??!

From the very beginning, when witnesses to an unfortunate "accident" are being interviewed by the police, I was in stitches. This book is HILARIOUS. Dark, black humor funny, which happens to be my favorite. Patrick, in particular, had me laughing out loud. He hides the fact that he's an exercise addict from Claire, not to mention his obsession with training for and competing in an Ironman competition; his internal dialogue is so dang self-concerned and unintentionally hilarious. Seriously, I think this might be the funniest book I've read all year so far! 

The interactions between all of The Adults are so honest and awkward and let me mention it again...downright funny! Scarlett has an imaginary friend named Posey, which led to some hysterical moments, and each character was so perfectly flawed and wonderful and terrible at the same time. Can that even be a thing? Apparently, because by the end of the book, I was hoping nobody died and at the same time, feeling sad to let these characters go. 

I must mention there are also some incredibly heartfelt and honest moments in The Adults. I think the overall theme is that life is messy, and even the most well-intentioned blended families can succumb to the pressures of facing our partners' former lives. Maybe not to the extent that these characters did....but still. 

I give The Adults by Caroline Hulse 4 out of 5 stars. You definitely won't regret reading this one, so add it to your TBR list and circle November 27th on your calendar, because that's when this great book comes out!

Thank you to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for providing my honest review.